Geoff CuddLast updated: October 27, 2026
Yes, Mercor is a legitimate company. It’s a San Francisco AI data company founded in 2023, valued at $10 billion in its last closed funding round, and it pays both the contractors who train AI models and the companies that license their data to it.
Being legit doesn’t make it risk-free. Mercor was hit by a supply chain attack in March 2026, faces contractor lawsuits over that breach and over worker classification, and is being sued by Scale AI for trade secret theft.
Most people searching this are looking for AI training work, and the next section answers that. The rest of the page covers Mercor for companies thinking of selling their data. For the full process, see how to sell your company’s data to AI companies.
Key takeaways
- Mercor raised $350 million at a $10 billion valuation in its Series C, and Forbes reported in July 2026 that it was in talks to raise at $20 billion.
- Mercor says it has paid more than $50 million to companies for their data, and publishes payout ranges of $20K to $1.5M across 24 industries.
- Contractors rate it 4.5 on Trustpilot from 1,290 reviews, but complaints about pay cuts and paused projects are common.
- In March 2026 Mercor was hit through compromised LiteLLM software. It says only a “very limited subset” of nearly five million experts had sensitive data affected.
- Mercor connects to your company’s tools directly to extract data, so check exactly what it can reach before you sign.
What is Mercor, and what does it do?
Mercor started as a hiring marketplace for software engineers and moved into AI training work as demand from labs grew. Its two sides are separate: an expert marketplace for individuals, and a data licensing program for businesses.
Is Mercor legit for contractors? Does Mercor actually pay?
| Source | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.5 from 1,290 reviews: 73% five-star, 9% one-star. Mercor invites reviews and pays for a Trustpilot subscription |
| Pay change, November 2025 | Contractors moved from one project to another were offered $16 an hour instead of $21, AOL reported |
| Classification suit, May 2026 | A Texas suit alleges more than 30,000 workers were misclassified as contractors, Law360 reported; these are allegations |
Before you take a project, get the hourly rate and expected hours in writing, and read what rights the terms give Mercor over your recorded AI interview.
Is Mercor legit for companies selling data?
Mercor’s listings publish what companies earn in 24 industries, from $20K to $250K for call centers up to $100K to $1.5M for manufacturers. Each listing also shows a separate referral fee, paid to whoever introduces the company. That figure isn’t what the company gets.
| Industry | Company size | Company earns |
|---|---|---|
| Law firm | 5 to 300 attorneys and staff | $50K to $1.2M |
| Accounting and tax firm | 5 to 200 employees | $25K to $865K |
| Manufacturing and industrial | 20 to 2,000 employees | $100K to $1.5M |
| Construction | 50 to 2,000 employees | $115K to $1M |
| Design and web agency | 10 to 200 employees | $20K to $890K |
| Publisher or education company | 10 to 500 employees | $35K to $370K |
| Call center or BPO | 50 to 5,000 agents | $20K to $250K |
Figures from Mercor’s listings, checked October 27, 2026. Our guide to how much company data is worth to AI has all 24 industries.
How does Mercor’s data program for companies work?
- Scope. You pick the tools and data to include, such as Slack, Gmail, Salesforce, GitHub or Notion.
- Connect. You link those accounts to Mercor’s platform.
- Process. Mercor’s automated pipeline extracts the data and removes personal information. Mercor says no lab or third party sees your raw data, and its engineers don’t manually review it.
- Payout. Mercor pays by wire when it delivers the anonymized dataset to the buyer, typically 2 to 4 weeks after you sign.
Mercor says no data leaves your systems until you approve it, credentials are held per session, and it’s SOC 2 Type II certified. Connecting a buyer’s platform to your live tools is still a bigger step than handing over an export. The law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz advises companies to avoid giving buyer tools direct access to company systems, so scope each connection tightly.
Mercor’s company page also lists target industries: legal, healthcare, finance and insurance, professional services, manufacturing, retail, real estate and logistics. To start, use Mercor’s company page.
Who founded Mercor, and how is it funded?
| Round | Amount | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Series B, February 2025 | $100M | $2B |
| Series C, 2025 | $350M | $10B |
| In talks, July 2026 | $500M (reported) | $20B (reported) |
The July 2026 figures come from Forbes, citing a source familiar with the talks. Time reported that Mercor generated $614 million in gross revenue in the first half of 2026.
What happened in the Mercor data breach?
Attackers published compromised versions of LiteLLM that stole credentials from any system that installed them. The hacking group Lapsus$ claimed to have taken about 4 TB of Mercor data, Cybernews reported. Mercor hasn’t confirmed that figure.
Mercor says it worked with Google’s Mandiant and law enforcement, notified affected experts on June 25 and 26, 2026, and offered TransUnion identity protection. Meta paused its work with Mercor after the attack. Mercor says all frontier labs have since increased their work with it.
For a company selling data, the breach is the main reason to limit what you send and get a deletion date in writing. Our guide to whether selling company data to AI is safe covers the other risks.
What are the Mercor lawsuits about?
| Lawsuit | Filed | What it alleges |
|---|---|---|
| Breach class actions | From April 2026 | Contractors’ Social Security numbers, interview recordings and other data were exposed; Mercor disputes the claims |
| Worker classification | May 2026, Texas | More than 30,000 workers were wrongly treated as independent contractors |
| Scale AI v. Mercor | September 2025 | A former Scale employee took over 100 confidential documents and pitched Mercor to a Scale customer; Mercor denies using them |
The breach and classification suits concern contractors, not client companies. Mercor’s contractor agreement requires arbitration, which may limit how the class actions proceed.
What do Mercor reviews on Reddit and Trustpilot say?
Almost all Mercor reviews are from contractors. We found no public review from a company that licensed its data to Mercor, so reviews tell you how Mercor treats workers, not how it handles a data deal.
Trustpilot’s AI summary of 1,243 recent reviews highlights pay arriving “punctually and precisely.” One in eleven reviews is one-star.
Mercor vs micro1: which suits a business better?
| Mercor | micro1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum size | From 5 employees, depending on industry | 30+ full-time employees |
| Published payouts | $20K to $1.5M by industry | $100K to $2M+ |
| How data moves | You connect your tools to Mercor’s platform | You transfer data through its APIs or approved methods |
| Who removes personal information | Mercor’s automated pipeline | micro1, after transfer |
| Payment | Wire on delivery, typically 2 to 4 weeks after signing | Within 30 days of invoice, after up to 30 days of review |
| Spirit Airlines bid | $7.5M at auction | Late competing bid |
Our micro1 review covers micro1 in the same detail.
What are the alternatives to Mercor?
| Alternative | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| micro1 | Buyer | Companies with 30+ staff and several years of records |
| Polyshares | Buyer | Small firms that want a perpetual, exclusive deal |
| Endless Data | Aggregator | Companies that want a non-exclusive license |
| Scale AI | Buyer | Larger companies wanting recurring payments |
| Korra | Broker | Firms that want someone to negotiate for them |
Our list of companies that buy business data for AI compares 12 options side by side.
Common mistakes when vetting Mercor
The most common mistake is reading a listing’s referral fee as what your company will earn. These are the others:
- Judging Mercor’s data program by contractor reviews, which cover a different business.
- Connecting every tool to raise the payout without checking what each one contains.
- Assuming the breach means Mercor is a scam. It means you should limit what you send.
- Expecting the top of an industry range when you’re near the size floor.
- Signing without reading the exclusivity and deletion terms, which Mercor doesn’t publish.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mercor legit?
Yes. Mercor is a San Francisco AI data company founded in 2023 and valued at $10 billion in its Series C. It pays contractors for AI training work and companies for licensing their data.
Is Mercor a scam?
No. Mercor pays contractors and companies, and says it has paid more than $50 million to companies for their data. It does face lawsuits over a 2026 breach and over worker classification.
Does Mercor actually pay?
Yes. Most Trustpilot reviews say pay arrives on time, and Mercor has a 4.5 rating from 1,290 reviews. Complaints focus on paused projects and lower rates on new work.
How much does Mercor pay companies for data?
Mercor’s listings put company payouts between $20,000 and $1.5 million, depending on industry. Law firms are listed at $50K to $1.2M and manufacturers at $100K to $1.5M.
What happened in the Mercor data breach?
Mercor was hit by a supply chain attack through LiteLLM in late March 2026. It said on June 25, 2026 that only a very limited subset of nearly five million experts had sensitive information affected.
Who owns Mercor?
Mercor was founded by Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha. Its investors include Felicis Ventures, Benchmark and General Catalyst.
