AI Giant Palantir Says Two Ex-Staffers Stole Secrets

Things are getting nasty in the AI corporate arena. Defense and tech giant Palantir is taking two former employees to court, accusing them of stealing trade secrets to launch a rival artificial intelligence venture, reports Business Insider. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, alleges that the pair of engineers stole confidential documents and breached noncompete agreements to create a "copycat" business called Percepta, reports the Wall Street Journal. The latter startup is backed by venture capital firm General Catalyst.

Their "months-long charade was deliberate, coordinated, and unlawful," the suit asserts. Palantir's legal action comes amid a broader trend of lawsuits in the competitive AI sector, with other companies also dragging former employees to court over alleged trade secret violations. "So far, it hasn't had much negative impact on venture dollar disbursements," notes Axios.

Palantir, which has become a major AI contractor for the US military and government agencies, recently announced a partnership with Nvidia. Percepta, according to General Catalyst, aims to "help enterprises in critical industries harness the frontier of AI."