Obnoxious - Evaluator Outlier AI Employee Review

I started working at Remotasks (previously known as that, and part of Scale AI) around August 2023. In the beginning, it wasn’t bad—there were reasonably long missions available, both on a separate platform and on their own. However, you had to be very persistent with team leaders (TLs) and queue managers (QMs) to access work, and there were lots of training sessions, calls, and coordination needed, while work was given randomly. When they migrated to the new platform (Outlier), things turned sour. We had to restart from scratch, even those of us who were experienced taskers. I had completed over 60 training sessions, with screenshots to prove it, but still rarely found work that lasted more than a few hours or even minutes at a time. The system seems largely managed by automated processes and reviewers who are often unqualified taskers themselves. It’s structured in a way that leads to constant interruptions and doesn’t give any predictability about what to expect each day. Older taskers who have built a good track record don’t receive any recognition, as the company constantly adds new taskers, including some with very limited skills in the task area. Despite these challenges, Scale AI is still taking on complex tasks, including contracts with major organizations. I was interviewed myself in April to become a TL (being recognized as a talent by an older lead TL), where the two interviewers don't show their faces, but you are forced to do it on your side. Becoming a TL or QM is the only chance at having a set amount of hours/month, being able to reach out to the decision makers, and gaining any kind of recognition. But they didn't hire me and didn't explain why. Getting consistent work now requires checking in with TLs and QMs daily, sometimes with limited responses. Numerous taskers frequently post similar complaints in the internal chat system, like "I'm EQ" (end of queue), "there is a bug", "I haven't had work/news for months", etc. Not to mention they forced everyone to use a VPN, which itself is a hassle and not working properly. You are also not allowed to travel while working (which doesn't make sense for a remote job in my opinion). I voiced my frustrations several times, even taking a break for a couple of months. Ultimately, I got into a disagreement with a TL and asked to be let go, which they did. On the positive side, they were consistent in paying what they owed, even after my access was restricted. Back when it was still Remotasks, there were bonuses, which made the time spent in training or requesting work more worthwhile. Now, over 50% of the time is spent on tasks outside of actual work, like training or dealing with system issues, resulting in lots of frustration. If you’re someone who can handle the frustrations, have absolutely nothing else to do in your life and no planning ahead, or are a wizard for navigating vicious automated systems, this could be a fit. However, if you’re looking for something consistent and well-organized, you will want to consider other options.