AI startup execs deny ‘poaching and stealing’ allegations brought by one of the biggest Silicon Valley companies, says ‘Palantir is looking to scare…’

Percepta AI executives are fighting a lawsuit against Palantir. The AI startup leaders have claimed that the defence tech company’s legal action over alleged poaching and stealing is an attempt to “stifle competition.” In a new filing (seen by CNBC), lawyers for the defendants argued that “Palantir is looking to scare others away from leaving and to destroy Percepta before it can grow further.” The three Percepta executives, who were former Palantir employees, said the company is trying to use lawsuits to destroy their startup. They denied poaching Palantir staff or stealing secret information.

The executives have also asked the judge to deny Palantir’s request, asserting that their former employer’s post-employment agreements are “facially overbroad and unenforceable.” The legal battle began last year when Palantir accused Percepta AI of stealing confidential information and targeting its top talent.

What are Palantir’s allegations against Percepta AI and its executives

In October 2025, Palantir filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, accusing Percepta co-founder and CEO Hirsh Jain and co-founder Radha Jain of using stolen information to create a "copycat" business. Palantir also claimed the founders, who previously worked for the data analytics company, tried to steal employees and “plunder Palantir's valuable intellectual property.”

Palantir accused a third Percepta employee, Joanna Cohen, of sending herself private documents after she quit and taking photos of sensitive information she downloaded to her personal phone.

In December 2025, Palantir, whose chairman is Peter Thiel, filed an updated lawsuit against the trio and asked a judge to stop Hirsh Jain from working at Percepta or for the AI startup's financial backer, General Catalyst, for 12 months.

Soon after, Percepta said that it didn't use any of Palantir's private information and called the case “baseless”.

In a recent court filing, Percepta’s lawyers said that thorough searches didn't show any Palantir materials. They argued that the screenshots taken by Cohen were done in “good faith” to help her finish her work. They said the materials “would be useless to Percepta and are by now stale regardless.”