Pros
In my nearly two years with Palantir, I'm certain that I've had a much bigger outcome on the impact I worked in government for seven years to affect: A government making better decisions driven by better information. It sounds cheesy, it's at times a slow and hard fought battle but we're actually winning it. If you've ever worked with the government you know what a huge accomplishment that is. I am also extraordinarily lucky to work with the highest integrity, smartest people I've ever known. Working a campaign in 2006 I thought I had worked with the most capable, tight knit, well motivated team I would have the fortune to work with. Only Palantir has topped that experience. Even if you forget both of the above reasons to work for the company - which are by far the best reasons to work here - they treat us extremely well. It's not just the big decisions like compensation and benefits, but also hundreds of small decisions where an ordinary company would optimize on keeping things simpler or spending less money, and it's clear that Palantir as a company prefers in each case to actually make my life easier and more productive, even if it means spending more money.
Cons
The work - both in volume and in degree of difficulty - is intense. Not only are we always trying to make something improbable happen with government customers in Silicon Valley timelines, but we're on the hook for the quality of that work in a big way. Making this all come together is definitely the most challenging professional experience of my life, and one that I have not always gotten right.