Most tedious interview process I have ever encountered. Bottom Line: It is true. The folksat the Shire (or Rivendell if you are at McLean, VA) care only about how you fit into their very forced, screwed up vision of what a startup should look like. Most Q's are trying to figure out things about your character not your skillset (the tech jobs probably have more substantive Q's). Read on if you want specifics. --Applied online and got an email from the recruiter a week or so later to set up a phone screen. --Because of the holidays the first screen was set up the first week of January. 15 minutes after the phone call was supposed to happen I checked my email and had an email from the phone screen guy wondering if we were still "on" and to call him if we were. I called him and he was surprised that I was waiting because he though I was calling him. Where has a candidate ever called the company? Seriously! The "Interview" went OK, most of the questions revolved around the usual "Why Palantir", what do you know about Palantir questions, what contracts do you work on etc.... Very little substance since the interviewer didn't seem to know much about contracts. Emailed him a thank you and he responded immediately congratulating me for reaching round 2. --Got an email from a different recruiter type person a few days later, asking me to interview with another person over the phone. Had to clarify if this was interview 2 or another interview 1 in a different dept. --Phone interview went well I thought, pleasant guy on the other side, also in Palo Alto. By this time it was mid-January. Same type of basic questions as the first guy, a little more substance though. The interviewer didn't seem to know much about government contracts so that puzzled me a little. --About a week later recruiter #1 emails saying they would like for me to go to the McLean location to interview. Yes! She contacted me the day before asking if they could reschedule by 30 mins. No problem. --Take leave from work and drive to McLean, and get to the office a few mins early. Pool table in the lobby, small security desk with big guard, and big reception desk with 2 small women--one sitting on a bosu ball that was inserted into a chair apparatus. Dog trotting around. Lord of the Rings toys on the window sill. Sweet bowls and chocolates here and there. Graffiti style picture of Alex Karp on the wall. Random "bros" with backward caps rolling around on scooters in shorts and t-shirts, in late January, In DC. Did they change when they got to work? The woman I was supposed to ask for was not there and some other woman met me and walked me to the conference room. We passed by offices with men sitting on chairs with no shoes or socks, a teeter hangups, etc.. . And lots or parked scooters. The hallways were filled with "awesome man" and "cool yo" exchanges. The interview was with 3 people. In Palo Alto, via VTC. Why the hell would I need to go to McLean to meet with these people via VTC? It went well regardless, I thought. --Got the obligatory free T-shirt and was on my way. --A week later (now into february) i get an email from the recruiter. They would like me to go into their McLean office (again?!) for an interview this time with a real human. OK got it. The day before my interview I get called to reschedule to Friday instead. Great, cos I've already taken time off work and now need to to tell my boss I have to reschedule my docs appointment, so I look like a fool, but I go on Friday anyways. --I get there and out comes a t-shirt in February-wearing bro, and he sits me down in the conference room and asks the same basic questions. Then BAM out comes the test, known to the folks at the Shire as a "hypo". For hypothetical I guess. A test question on what you would do given a certain contract scenario. It was really basic but still impossible to answer since you don't know anything about the company's finances. I answered all his questions and he agreed with my take on everything. Then he leaves and says I have 2 more interviews. --I didn't mind the 2 more interviews, which again were on VTC, the only problem was that the 2 guys on VTC were phone screeners #1 and #2. They were surprised it was me again and actually found it hard to ask me new questions. Got another free t shirt, exactly like the first one. --About a week later got the rejection email. I'm glad I got to see how different organizational cultures can be, and I'm glad I don't have to hang out with the lords of the rings all day. It seems like you need to be between 23 and 28 to get employed here (I didn't see a single person with a grey hair there), but act like you are 23 regardless of your age. If you are indeed interested in going back to undergrad, dress casually when you go, expect to have 5 and 8 interviews, and do your best to look like you fit in. I tried my best but it wasn't enough.