The problem
AI builders need large volumes of expert-labeled data and evaluations to train and trust models
What they do
Training data, evaluation and AI applications for labs, enterprises and government
Traction Revenue just under $1B (2025) vs $870M (2024)
Hiring trend
- Open roles
- 171
- Ops roles
- 4
- Headcount
- ~5,800
Shrinking: headcount -7% YoY to ~5,790 (Revelio, Mar 2026); 184 open roles
Hiring in
- San Francisco
- New York
- Washington, DC
Funding
- Last round
- $14.3B (Meta, for 49%)
- Stage
- Series G (Meta 49%)
- Date
- Jun 2025
Led by Meta
- Hiring+2171 open roles on the live job board (30+ roles = +2)
- Funding recency+1Series G (Meta 49%) · $14.3B (Meta, for 49%), Jun 2025 (16 months ago): 12–24 months = +0.5, $100M+ round +0.5
- Traction+0.75Some growth: Revenue just under $1B (2025) vs $870M (2024)
- Red flags−22 significant flags in the last 24 months, −1 eachLaid off ~14% (200 staff, 500 contractors) Jul 2025; OpenAI, Google, xAI cut contracts after Meta deal; founder-CEO left for MetaTechRepublic, Jul 2025 layoffs ↗ · Revelio Labs headcount ↗ · Value Add VC, customer losses ↗
- Total1.752 + 1 + 0.75 − 2 = 1.75 → Steady (1.5–3.49)
Distance (10K) is a separate read on how long the lead can last. It doesn't change the score.
Distance
10K · edge: learns from use
Lost top labs after the Meta deal, cut ~14% of staff, and Surge now out-earns it.
Sources: Scale AI: Scale's next era, building for 2026 (Jan 2026) ↗ · Value Add VC: How Scale AI makes money after Meta (Jul 2026) ↗ · Reuters: Surge AI out-earned Scale AI in 2024 (Jul 2025) ↗
Watch-outs
Laid off ~14% (200 staff, 500 contractors) Jul 2025; OpenAI, Google, xAI cut contracts after Meta deal; founder-CEO left for Meta
Sources: TechRepublic, Jul 2025 layoffs ↗ · Revelio Labs headcount ↗ · Value Add VC, customer losses ↗
Last checked Oct 25, 2026