Three-year-old start-up Mercor has become a $10 billion middleman in the AI data gold rush. The company connects AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic with former employees of Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and white-shoe law firms, paying them up to $200 an hour to share their industry expertise and train the AI models that could eventually automate their former employers’ bankruptcy.
Today we offer you a conversation with Brendan Foody, CEO of this year’s Disruptwhere he explains why AI labs need highly skilled entrepreneurs rather than an outsourced workforce, how Scale AI’s problems accelerated Mercor’s rise, and why he thinks the entire economy will converge on training AI agents.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about:
- How Foody went from being an AWS credit consultant in high school to a $10 billion valuation
- Why the top 10-20% of entrepreneurs drive the majority of model improvements and how Mercor finds them
- The Gray Area Between Employee Knowledge and Corporate Secrets (And Whether Goldman Sachs Should Be Worried)
- Why Foody believes all knowledge work will eventually become training data for AI agents
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Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch and focuses on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of two producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and designed live performances and guest interviews like Lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Monmouth University.
You can contact or check Theresa’s outreach by sending an email Theresa.loconsolo@techcrunch.com.
