Fordel StudiosHow AI is reshaping work and who gets to do it, according to Mercor’s CEO
What Happened
Three-year-old startup Mercor has become a $10 billion middleman in AI’s 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 ind
Our Take
$10B valuation for labor arbitrage is insane, but I get it. They're not selling software—they're selling qualified labor to the labs that move the needle. Goldman/McKinsey brain at $200/hour beats hiring one quant at $300K.
The risk? The moment those ex-bankers realize they don't need Mercor's cut, they go direct. Platform risk is real. Still, for the next 2-3 years this works—they're a staffing agency with a valuation that says "we're shipping intelligence to OpenAI."
That vibe sells to VCs.
What To Do
If you're selling AI data or domain expertise, this proves the market pays $200+/hour—don't undersell.
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