• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechPalantir Technologies

Palantir Settles Federal Discrimination Lawsuit

Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
Down Arrow Button Icon
Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 25, 2017, 5:03 PM ET
Photograph by Brad Wenner for Fortune

Palantir Technologies, the Palo Alto-based data analytics company, has settled an administrative lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor last fall.

The suit alleged that Palantir discriminated against Asian job applicants by routinely eliminating them in the screening process, even when they were as qualified as white applicants. Late last year, Palantir had filed a 15-page response to the Labor Department, arguing that the suit only addressed three out of 44 job titles for which Palantir hired employees within the 18-month analysis period analyzed by the department. It also argued that the suit wrongly suggested that the company “should have hired a workforce that matched the racial composition of the group of individuals whose resumes Palantir received, without regard to candidate qualifications.” Lastly, it pointed out that 36% of those eventually hired across all of the job openings within that same timeframe were Asian—a rate that is actually above the percentage of “qualified” Asian employees in the external labor market (according to stats from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).

In short, the company had presented plenty of facts that it says undermined the validity of the discrimination suit.

But those arguments no longer really matter. Today, the Labor Department announced that Palantir has settled the suit. The settlement provisions require Palantir to pay nearly $1.7 million in “back pay and other monetary relief” to the “class members”—a.k.a. the people who were allegedly impacted from the discriminatory practices alleged by the Labor Department. Notably, Palantir is making it very clear that its settlement with the department is in no way an admission of any wrongdoing on its part.

According to a statement from the company, issued to Fortune earlier today:

“We disagree with the allegations made by the Department of Labor. We settled this matter, without any admission of liability, in order to focus on our work. We continue to stand by our employment record and are glad to have resolved this case.”

Thomas Dowd, acting director of the Labor Department office that brought the suit, said: “Together, we will ensure that the company complies with equal employment opportunity laws in its recruitment, hiring and other employment practices.”

Palantir isn’t the first tech company to settle while denying the allegations. Splunk, another Bay Area-based software company, agreed to pay $2.7 million in back pay to resolve allegations of hiring discriminations at its San Francisco headquarters. A compliance review similar to the one that the Labor Department had conducted at Palantir found that the company discriminated against 872 African-American and Asian applicants who applied for certain positions. Like Palantir, Splunk denied the claims but agreed to settle.

For more about discrimination, watch:

Interestingly, the Labor Department also recently sued Oracle but for an opposite problem—it has alleged that the enterprise tech giant actually favored Asian workers in its recruitment practices, both for technical and product roles. (It is also claiming that Oracle paid white, male workers more than women, African Americans and Asians.) Google too was also recently sued.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Because all of the above companies are government contractors, they are subject to ongoing compliance reviews.

Palantir in particular has made a name for itself as a government contractor, though its customer base has diversified into the private sector in recent years. The company is currently valued at about $20 billion, making it one of the highest-valued startups in Silicon Valley.

This article was updated with a comment from the Labor Department

About the Author
Michal Lev-Ram
By Michal Lev-RamSpecial Correspondent
Twitter icon

Michal Lev-Ram is a special correspondent covering the technology and entertainment sectors for Fortune, writing analysis and longform reporting.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026.
Middle EastData centers
Iran’s attacks on Amazon data centers in UAE, Bahrain signal a new kind of war as AI plays an increasingly strategic role, analysts say
By Jeremy KahnMarch 9, 2026
2 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei speaking into a microphone.
LawAnthropic
Anthropic sues the Pentagon after being labeled a threat to national security
By Beatrice NolanMarch 9, 2026
2 hours ago
InnovationEntrepreneurship
Billionaire Peter Diamandis offers $3.5 million to filmmakers who portray AI as the hero—not the villain
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 9, 2026
2 hours ago
Business man on the phone with luggage
SuccessCareers
Worried about AI job cuts? It might be time to move to Europe, where companies are planning to hiring more—not less—workers thanks to AI
By Preston ForeMarch 9, 2026
3 hours ago
Women walk past a sign
AITech
People really hate AI but not as much as Iran—or Democrats
By Jake AngeloMarch 9, 2026
3 hours ago
stitch
Future of WorkSocial Media
‘It feels like a video game, but in real life’: Gen Z’s love of analog ‘grandma’ hobbies jump from Pokemon to bird-watching, scrolling to needlepoint
By Kaitlyn Huamani and The Associated PressMarch 9, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z graduates who majored in ‘AI-proof’ careers like pharmacy, biology, and education are making less than $50,000 after graduation
By Emma BurleighMarch 6, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
This AI founder who quit her 9-to-5 law job has a warning for anyone dreaming of doing the same: 'I'm working harder now than I ever did'
By Emma BurleighMarch 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Anthropic just mapped out which jobs AI could potentially replace. A 'Great Recession for white-collar workers' is absolutely possible
By Jake AngeloMarch 6, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump’s $175 billion illegal tariff revenue is now accruing interest, and refund delays could be costing American taxpayers $700 million a month
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 4, 2026
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Forget the U.S. Navy. The best protection for ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz may be claiming to be a 'Chinese' or 'Muslim' vessel
By Jason MaMarch 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
'Nightmare scenario' looms as global markets head for the biggest oil output disruption in history, top energy guru warns
By Jason MaMarch 8, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.