By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) -Palantir Applied sciences on Thursday sued two of its former senior engineers, accusing them of utilizing the software program firm’s secret data to launch a “copycat” agency, Percepta AI.
The lawsuit in Manhattan federal courtroom claims that Radha Jain and Joanna Cohen have been “entrusted with Palantir’s crown jewels,” together with its supply code and buyer data, and breached agreements they signed with the corporate to safeguard that data.
Palantir mentioned that identical to its personal AI-powered software program, Percepta’s merchandise are designed to make companies and authorities companies extra environment friendly utilizing knowledge they already possess.
Jain left Palantir in November 2024 after serving to to design and construct its flagship software program, and Cohen, who labored on AI options for particular person clients, resigned in February, in keeping with the lawsuit. Percepta AI, which is owned by enterprise capital agency Basic Catalyst, was publicly unveiled earlier this month.
“Jain’s and Cohen’s deception and violation of their agreements with Palantir are black and white,” the corporate mentioned within the lawsuit.
Percepta, which isn’t a defendant within the lawsuit, and Jain didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark. Cohen couldn’t instantly be reached.
Percepta employed a minimum of 10 former Palantir workers inside months of its founding final yr, and almost half its workforce are former Palantir staffers, together with co-founder and CEO Hirsh Jain, in keeping with the criticism.
Palantir says Jain and Cohen signed agreements barring them from competing with the corporate for one yr after leaving, from soliciting Palantir clients or workers for 2 years, and from utilizing any of the corporate’s confidential data exterior their employment.
The lawsuit accuses Jain and Cohen of breaching these agreements and seeks to power them to adjust to them.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Enhancing Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew Lewis)