About Mercor
What is Mercor?
Mercor is a San Francisco-headquartered AI talent platform that "organizes human intelligence to power the AI economy." Founded in 2023 and now a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion (latest $350M round, reported by CNBC), Mercor connects experts across all professional domains with leading AI research labs and enterprises that need human expertise for AI development and evaluation — covering APEX-Agents, APEX-SWE, APEX-AI Productivity benchmarks, and Enterprise AI implementations.
The company has been featured in Forbes ("AI's next job? Recruiting people to train more AI"), TIME ("AI is learning to do the jobs of doctors, lawyers, and consultants"), and Bloomberg ("24 AI startups to watch in 2026"). Mercor's contractor marketplace is the part of the business listed on 4dayweek.io — providing remote, flexible, part-time contract work for experts across all domains of expertise.
Where will I work?
There are two work models at Mercor:
- Contractor work (Mercor's product): 100% remote, flexible schedules (often ~20 hours/week), self-managed time-off, weekly payouts via Stripe Connect — for experts across all domains who want to support AI development.
- Mercor FTE (Mercor itself): "We work in person from our San Francisco headquarters" (181 Fremont Street). Full-time roles are nearly all onsite SF, with a small number SF-or-NYC and one London exception. Salary bands publicly disclosed range from $130K-$500K for engineering up to $250K-$400K for engineering managers; the London Strategic Project Lead role is £72.5K-£166K.
What is the Mercor team like?
Mercor's culture is "for those who care deeply and build boldly" — focused on in-person collaboration to move faster and solve harder problems, with direct exposure to research, labs, and startups at the AI forefront. Currently there are around 55 active openings, weighted toward Engineering (32), Operations (15), Enterprise (3), Finance (3), and Marketing (2). The company is run by founders Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath, and Surya Midha, all named in business media coverage.
Work-Life Balance
Mercor's contractor opportunities are fully self-managed: set your own schedule, work the hours you want, get paid weekly. FTE roles are different — Mercor describes itself as "built for people who thrive in high-velocity environments. We welcome builders who want to grow in their career faster than anywhere else." FTEs get Unlimited paid vacation and sick days plus generous parental leave for both birthing and non-birthing parents.
Perks and Benefits
For contractors (the 4dayweek.io listing):
- 100% remote contractor roles — set your own schedule, work across all domains of expertise
- Weekly payouts via Stripe Connect
- Direct exposure to research, labs, and startups at the AI forefront
For US FTE employees (in-person SF):
- Unlimited paid vacation and sick days
- Generous equity grant
- 401(k) with employer match
- Monthly food stipend
- Generous annual housing support (proximity bonus)
- Relocation bonus for moves to the Bay Area
- Free Equinox membership
- Parental leave for both birthing and non-birthing parents
- Free mental health services + Monthly wellness stipend
- Salary bands publicly disclosed on every role ($130K-$500K engineering range; £72.5K-£166K London)