Stocking offices with nicotine products to increase worker productivity.
Palantir, Hello Patient and other tech companies are stocking offices with nicotine products to increase worker productivity.
Yes, you read this correctly, Nicotine Vending Machines, now a workplace perk.
Tech companies like Palantir and Hello Patient are stocking office vending machines with nicotine products to increase productivity among employees—and it seems to be working.
Nicotine startups Lucy and Sesh have installed branded vending machines in Palantir’s Washington, D.C., office, full of nicotine pouches that are leaving employees zipped up and ready to work.
A report in Fortune highlights a growing trend among some technology companies that are placing nicotine pouches in office vending machines as a workplace perk, with the aim of boosting employee focus and productivity. At the Washington, D.C., office of Palantir Technologies, vending machines stocked with nicotine pouches from startups Lucy Nicotine and Sesh Products have been installed for employees and guests over the age of 21. According to reports cited by The Wall Street Journal, the products are provided free of charge and paid for by the company.
The practice is also appearing at smaller tech firms. Hello Patient, an AI-powered healthcare startup based in Austin, experimented with a nicotine-pouch fridge in its office after its founder noticed engineers using the products during work.
Long a safer (and legal) alternative to the drugs that Wall Street bankers of old would use to follow market updates, tobacco products have started to make a comeback in the workplace, especially in the form of nicotine products as companies like Zyn and On! offer a less invasive way to get that nicotine high without clouding up office air.
Now, as companies stock their fridges with these pouches—usually the size of a piece of gum that remains tucked between one’s gums and cheek—they’re seeing an increased byproduct of the new office treat: If you can’t get them hooked on the work, get them hooked on the office perks.
The pouches are available for free in Palantir’s offices for employees and guests over the age of 21, a Palantir spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal. Palantir, which did not respond to requests for comment, pays to stock the products.
Eliano A. Younes, Palantir’s head of strategic engagement, posted a photo on X of a Lucy-branded vending machine filled with nicotine products, with the caption: “Palantir DC Office @LucyNicotine 😵💫 🚀.”
Sesh, in particular, has a special tie to Palantir: it received $40 million in funding from Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC firm, and the cofounder even helped the company scale up, with Lonsdale previously telling Fortune he was drawn to Sesh because it was a smoke-free alternative to other products. “People don’t want to vape anymore,” he told Fortune.
Nicotine pouch brands LUCY, SESH and ALP lead the vending race:
While Lucy and Sesh address the Tech Office markets, ALP has teamed with
VapeTM to launch specialized vending machines designed exclusively for ALP nicotine pouches, featuring proprietary "1-inch lift" technology to prevent the slim tins from jamming, a common issue in standard dispensers. These machines, which include integrated age verification and 32-inch screens, are targeting high-traffic venues for a "jam-free" experience.
Of Interests:
As of late 2024–2025, approximately 1.6 million U.S. middle and high school students currently use e-cigarettes, according to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. While overall usage has declined from peak levels, about 5.9% of youth report current vaping, with daily use among teens rising to 28.8% by 2024, indicating high addiction rates.
In 2025, the use of nicotine pouches among U.S. high school seniors rose to 4.4%, up from 1.4% in 2023, according to the 2025 Monitoring the Future survey. While vaping rates have slightly declined (15.7% for seniors in 2025), many teens are switching to or combining pouches with vapes, with pouches becoming the second most used tobacco product.
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