Palantir Technologies(US:PLTR) Reuters·2026-02-18 20:54Core Viewpoint - A federal judge has granted Palantir Technologies a temporary injunction against former employees soliciting its staff for a competing AI firm, Percepta AI, amid allegations of using confidential information to create a similar software product [1]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings - The ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken prevents former Palantir vice president Hirsh Jain and senior engineer Radha Jain from soliciting Palantir employees for Percepta AI, which they launched last year [1]. - The judge also barred Joanna Cohen, a former Palantir engineer now with Percepta, from breaching her confidentiality agreement with Palantir [1]. - Palantir's lawsuit, filed in October, claims that Percepta's services are designed to enhance efficiency for businesses and government agencies using existing data, similar to Palantir's AI-powered software [1]. Group 2: Company Background - Percepta AI is backed by venture capital firm General Catalyst and was publicly unveiled in October [1]. - The defendants, including Hirsh Jain, who managed Palantir's healthcare portfolio, and Radha Jain, who contributed to the flagship software, left Palantir in August 2024 to establish Percepta [1]. - Percepta has reportedly hired at least 10 former Palantir employees shortly after its founding, with nearly half of its workforce being ex-Palantir staff [1]. Group 3: Agreements and Allegations - Palantir asserts that the defendants signed agreements prohibiting them from competing for one year after leaving, soliciting Palantir customers or employees for two years, and using any confidential information outside their employment [1]. - The lawsuit accuses the defendants of breaching these agreements and seeks to enforce compliance [1].