In the heart of San Francisco’s tech landscape, a group of 22-year-old entrepreneurs is challenging traditional notions of work and technology. Brendan Foody and his co-founders at Mercor have built a startup that’s transforming how highly skilled professionals engage with artificial intelligence.

Mercor represents a new frontier in the tech industry, connecting white-collar professionals with AI companies like OpenAI and Meta. These contractors, many with advanced degrees, are paid up to $200 an hour to train AI chatbots, creating a unique job market that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

Foody’s vision goes beyond simply creating jobs. He believes humans will spend the next decade teaching machines to understand nuanced human judgment, ultimately freeing people to pursue more meaningful work. The startup’s rapid growth tells a compelling story: from fewer than 20 employees to over 300 in just one year, Mercor has become one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the region.

The company’s origins are as unconventional as its mission. Foody and his co-founders met through their high school debate team and took a risk by participating in a three-week hackathon in São Paulo. Their initial business model of connecting engineers evolved into a sophisticated platform for recruiting and deploying specialized talent for AI training.

Mercor’s recent $350 million funding round, which valued the company at $10 billion, makes Foody and his co-founders the youngest self-made tech billionaires in history. But unlike traditional tech narratives of wealth accumulation, Foody emphasizes social responsibility, having already donated to his mother’s charity focused on revitalizing downtown Menlo Park.

As the tech industry continues to evolve, Mercor represents a hopeful perspective on AI’s potential. Instead of viewing technology as a threat to jobs, the company sees it as an opportunity to unlock human potential and create new forms of meaningful work.

With major tech leaders like Uber’s CEO already discussing platforms for AI-related gig work, Mercor seems poised to be at the forefront of this emerging economic landscape. Their approach suggests a future where technology empowers rather than replaces human creativity and expertise.