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Nabeel Qureshi

Researcher & Writer at Mercatus Center / Palantir alumni

Nabeel Qureshi is a founder, writer, and researcher who was VP of Business Development at GoCardless, worked on the largest medical dataset at NIH, and recently researched AI policy at the Mercatus Center.

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 75%
Execution & Craft 65%
Data & Experimentation 50%
Growth & Distribution 35%
Team & Leadership 55%
User Empathy & Research 85%

Key Themes

Palantir PM culture forward-deployed engineering independent-minded hiring intellectual curiosity as signal PM role redefinition AI policy research

Episode Summary

Nabeel Qureshi provides a rare inside look at Palantir's distinctive approach to product management, where PMs can only be promoted from forward-deployed engineers who work alongside customers. He explains why 30% of departing Palantir PMs start companies, the value of screening for intellectual curiosity and independent-mindedness, and his perspectives on AI policy.

Leadership Principles

  • Only make people PMs who have first proven themselves as forward-deployed engineers in the field
  • Screen hard for independent-mindedness and broad intellectual interests
  • The best PMs come from working alongside customers at their actual desks

Notable Quotes

"They were extremely careful about only making people PMs who had first proven themselves as forward deployed engineers."

— On Palantir's unique PM path that requires field experience first

"They screened really hard for independent-minded people who weren't afraid to push back and people with broader intellectual interests."

— On what made Palantir's hiring so distinctive

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