In early 2019, “James”, a British healthcare analyst, received an unsolicited approach from a recruiter online. Such approaches are not uncommon in the sector, but this particular invite piqued James’ interest; it came from a senior employee working in the London office of the US data analysis firm Palantir.
Launched by the Paypal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel in 2003, Palantir has earned a reputation in its 17-year history for carrying out lucrative but contentious public sector work in the US, from developing “predictive policing” systems to building battlefield software. Over the last decade, the company has also expanded its work overseas, securing £39m in deals with the UK government alone. Propelled by this growth, its London office, set among the advertising agencies and film production companies on Soho Square, has become its largest globally.
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