Palantir sues 2 ex-engineers for allegedly using its ‘crown jewels’ to start ‘copycat’ firm Percepta AI

Palantir Technologies has sued two of its former senior engineers, Radha Jain and Joanna Cohen, for allegedly using confidential company information to start a “copycat” firm, Percepta AI, whose products aim to help businesses and government agencies work more efficiently with the data they already have, Reuters reported.

According to the lawsuit, Ms Jain left Palantir in November last year after helping to design and build Palantir’s flagship software, while Ms Cohen, who worked on client-specific AI solutions, left in February. Percepta AI, backed by venture capital firm General Catalyst, made its public debut earlier this month.

The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court alleges that both former Palantir engineers, who were “entrusted with Palantir’s crown jewels,” its source code and customer data, breached signed agreements requiring them to safeguard that information.

The signed agreements barred them from competing with Palantir for a year after leaving the company, from soliciting its customers or employees for two years, and from using any company confidential information outside their employment.

The company said their deception and violation of their agreements with Palantir are black and white. The lawsuit seeks for them to comply with the breached agreements.

Palantir also claimed Percepta hired at least 10 of its former employees within months of Percepta’s founding last year, with nearly half of its staff being ex-Palantir workers, including co-founder and CEO Hirsh Jain.

Percepta and both former Palantir engineers have not yet commented on the matter. /TISG

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