Garry Tan: Turning Down Palantir Was a Multi-Billion Dollar Mistake
a16z · x · 2026-08-13
Garry Tan recalled his time at Microsoft when he turned down a $70,000 check from Peter Thiel to join Palantir early on, choosing instead to pursue a promotion at Microsoft. He admitted that this decision was a $2 to $4 billion mistake in hindsight.
Furthermore, he predicts a wave of older, highly experienced AI-native founders. While young prodigies will always exist, Tan believes that 35-to-45-year-old veterans with deep engineering backgrounds can leverage their experience to outperform entire departments at any of the Magnificent Seven tech giants.
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