Tech Giant ABANDONS College System Entirely

Person filling out job application form.

Palantir Technologies has launched a bold “Meritocracy Fellowship” that bypasses the woke college system entirely, offering high school graduates a direct path to high-paying tech careers while completely rejecting the broken university establishment.

Story Highlights

Palantir’s new fellowship exclusively targets high school grads who refuse college enrollment
Program pays $5,400 monthly for four months with potential full-time employment
CEO Alex Karp declares college education “intellectually incorrect” about how the world works
Initiative directly challenges elite university admissions as anti-meritocratic

Palantir Declares War on Woke Higher Education

Palantir Technologies has taken a revolutionary stand against the corrupt university system by launching its Meritocracy Fellowship exclusively for recent high school graduates. The program explicitly requires participants not be enrolled in any college, representing a direct assault on the leftist indoctrination factories masquerading as institutions of higher learning. CEO Alex Karp boldly declared on CNBC that “everything you learned at your school and college about how the world works is intellectually incorrect,” finally giving voice to what working Americans have known for years.

PALANTIR Thinks College Might Be Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads…

— Eric Smith (@EricSmi19837108) November 3, 2025

Merit-Based Selection Restores American Excellence

The fellowship bases admission on objective academic achievement through standardized test scores in the top percentiles, completely rejecting the DEI nonsense that has poisoned college admissions. Palantir’s job posting specifically criticizes how “opaque admissions standards at many American universities have displaced meritocracy and excellence.” This represents a return to genuine American values where hard work and ability matter more than checking the right demographic boxes or parroting progressive talking points that have corrupted our educational institutions.

Four-Month Program Offers Real-World Skills Over Leftist Theory

Selected fellows receive $5,400 per month during the four-month program based in New York, with the opportunity for full-time employment upon completion. The program offers what Palantir calls a “Palantir Degree,” positioning itself as a legitimate alternative to the overpriced, debt-laden college experience that saddles young Americans with massive loans while filling their heads with anti-American propaganda. This initiative follows the tradition established by co-founder Peter Thiel’s fellowship, which has successfully helped young entrepreneurs bypass the university system since 2011.

Program Emerges as Universities Face Conservative Backlash

The fellowship launches amid mounting pressure on universities from the Trump administration’s efforts to defund institutions promoting DEI policies and tolerating antisemitism on campus. Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision ending affirmative action, Americans are increasingly questioning whether colleges serve students or advance radical political agendas. Rising student debt, concerns over ideological bias, and questions about return on investment have fueled widespread skepticism about the value of higher education among hardworking families who see their tax dollars funding leftist indoctrination centers.

Tech Industry Embraces Skills Over Woke Credentials

Palantir’s initiative represents a growing trend in the tech sector toward skills-based hiring rather than relying on credentials from politically compromised universities. The program could pressure other companies to follow suit, potentially undermining the stranglehold that woke academia has maintained over career advancement in America. If successful, this approach could restore the American dream of advancement based on merit and ability rather than ideological conformity, offering young patriots an alternative path to success without subjecting themselves to four years of leftist propaganda disguised as education.