Key takeaways Palantir filed a federal lawsuit against former engineers Radha Jain and Joanna Cohen for allegedly stealing trade secrets to launch rival AI startup Percepta. The lawsuit claims the def...
Data analytics giant Palantir Technologies has filed a federal lawsuit against two former senior artificial intelligence engineers, alleging they used stolen trade secrets to launch a competing AI startup that directly threatens the company's core business.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, targets Radha Jain and Joanna Cohen, both of whom held senior positions at Palantir and had access to what the company describes as its "crown jewels" — including proprietary source code, internal demonstration workspaces, customer workflows, and strategic business information representing billions of dollars in investment.
According to the complaint, Jain resigned from Palantir in November 2024 after helping design the company's flagship AIP Logic system, while Cohen departed in February 2025 following her role as Healthcare Lead, where she built AI solutions for major clients.
Palantir alleges that both engineers concealed their plans to join a competing venture and refused to sign separation agreements.
The lawsuit claims that Cohen sent herself highly confidential Palantir documents via Slack the day after giving notice, including a healthcare revenue cycle diagram, an internal demonstration framework, and a draft statement of work.
She later accessed these documents on her personal phone, according to the filing.
"They lied about their plans when they resigned, Cohen stole Palantir's confidential documents and information on her way out the door, and they both hid their competitive misconduct for months," the complaint states.
Palantir alleges it remained unaware of where the former employees were working until Percepta emerged from stealth mode in October 2025.
The company then launched a forensic investigation that revealed what it characterizes as clear evidence of contractual violations and theft.
Percepta, which is fully owned by venture capital firm General Catalyst, launched publicly in early October with a business model that closely mirrors Palantir's AI integration services.
The startup has hired at least ten former Palantir employees, with nearly half its workforce having previously worked at the data analytics company.
Hirsh Jain, who co-founded Percepta and serves as its CEO, also previously worked at Palantir.
The startup has secured strategic partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Anthropic, positioning itself to compete in the same markets as Palantir across healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and government sectors.
During a Forbes interview in September, General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja acknowledged Palantir's value in the market and indicated his firm was working on creating what he described as a version of Palantir's business model.
Palantir contends that both defendants signed agreements prohibiting them from competing with the company for 12 months after departure, soliciting clients or employees for 24 months, and using confidential information.
The company claims the former engineers were paid millions of dollars in compensation in exchange for these commitments.
The lawsuit warns that the stolen documents could enable Percepta to "shortcut over a decade of Palantir's research" and "evade millions of dollars in investment costs."
Palantir argues the misappropriated information would allow the rival startup to "replicate its most effective demonstrations" and leverage stolen insights to win clients, causing irreparable harm to its market position.
Palantir is seeking emergency injunctive relief to halt what it describes as ongoing competitive misconduct, enforcement of the non-compete agreements with extended periods to account for the alleged breach, reimbursement of legal fees, and additional damages.
The lawsuit arrives as Palantir continues its expansion in government contracting, having recently secured a contract with the U.S. Army worth up to $10 billion over the next decade and a $30 million contract to build ImmigrationOS for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The company's market capitalization has surged 374.87% to approximately $461 billion.
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