It took just a few months of President Trump's second term for Palantir employees to question their company's commitments to civil liberties. Last fall, Palantir seemed to become the technological backbone of Trump’s immigration enforcement machinery, providing software identifying, tracking, and helping deport immigrants on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Two former employees reconnected by phone, one greeting the other with: 'Are you tracking Palantir's descent into fascism?' This reflects a broader internal shift where workers are now questioning their role in a system they once accepted as necessary for national security.

Palantir was cofounded by tech billionaire Peter Thiel and has always had a secretive reputation, forbidding employees from speaking to the press. Despite this, management has historically engaged with feedback and internal criticism. However, over the last year, much of that feedback has been met with philosophical soliloquies and redirection.

The tension reached a boiling point in January after the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents during protests against ICE in Minneapolis. Employees demanded more information about the company's relationship with ICE from management and CEO Alex Karp. Palantir then started wiping Slack conversations after seven days, leading to internal debates over transparency.

Palantir released an updated wiki defending its work with DHS, stating that their technology 'is making a difference in mitigating risks while enabling targeted outcomes.' However, this has not silenced the concerns of many employees who feel they are now enabling rather than preventing abuses.