Security Clearances at the Speed of Startups

Summary

Palantir is piloting an accelerated security‑clearance program that hires offered interns and new grads as contractors while they’re still in school so the government background checks (including SSBI for Top Secret) can begin months earlier—aiming to have clearances ready by a new hire’s first day. The approach tackles the industrywide lag—often 3–9 months—caused by National Background Investigation Services procedures and aims to reduce lost candidates and limited intern roles. By pre‑clearing talent, Palantir hopes to secure a competitive recruiting edge and strengthen the national‑security engineering pipeline, and it is urging other defense tech firms to adopt similar practices.