AI Training Firms Ditch Stickers, Demand Nerd Ninjas for $2.2B Gig
KEY POINTS
- •Jonathan Siddharth, CEO of Turing, said basic data labeling is obsolete as AI models need complex training data.
- •Turing raised $111 million in June 2025, reaching a $2.2 billion valuation and a $300 million revenue run rate.
- •Major labs want AI training firms to become proactive research partners, creating simulated workflows for reinforcement learning.
- •Meta acquired 49% of Scale AI in June, valuing it over $29 billion, while Mercor secured $10 billion in funding by October.
Jonathan Siddharth, CEO of Turing—a $2.2 billion AI power player—declares that simple data labeling like tagging images and sifting text is 'over,' as of December 2025. His rallying cry? AI labs now want 'proactive research partners,' AKA human geniuses, to fuel complex reinforcement-learning playgrounds that mimic actual human brain farts in knowledge work. Meanwhile, Meta cashed out in June for nearly $29 billion by buying 49% of Scale AI, and Mercor bagged a $10 billion valuation in October. Freelancers hustling data labeling gigs make unpredictable thousands per month, only to find underground Facebook markets selling contractor accounts—because what could possibly go wrong with that?
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When your AI training company says 'the era of data labeling is over,' but your gig still involves staring at 10,000 dog photos wondering if Fido is really a dachshund or the future of humanity.
Who knew that tagging fluffy cats was just level one? Now it’s research accelerators and simulated mini-worlds where humans pretend to work—sounds like my last Monday meeting.
Meta owns half of a company worth $29 billion, and some poor freelancers tag data for unpredictable cash. The AI boom: billion-dollar startups vs. precious gig workers in the Theranos of labeling.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/2/2025 | Author: Lee Chong Ming
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