capital · May 20, 2026
Mercor $10B AI Training Startup Faces Worker Backlash Amid High-Paying Contractor Roles
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Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs through contractor roles paying up to $350 per hour for specialized AI training tasks. Mercor leadership includes 20-something Peter Thiel proteges and the company was valued at $10 billion after its Series C round. Critics cite intrusive oversight and labor concerns in the high-volume AI data labeling and training work. Mercor processes custom datasets used to teach AI models at scale for major labs. The company expanded rapidly after raising $350 million in its Series C round in late 2025.
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