# micro1 vs Scale AI: what each one does

> micro1 vs Scale AI: both run company-data programs. micro1 lists $100K+ tiers, Scale AI an illustrative $10K to $1M+, beside its labeling work.

By Matt Burns, Vaultfish. Canonical: https://vaultfish.com/answers/micro1-vs-scale-ai  
Published: 2026-09-10  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## The short answer

micro1 and Scale AI both run company-data programs. micro1 states tiers of $100K+, $500K+ and $1M+ for companies with 30 or more employees. Scale AI prefers 40+ employees and states an illustrative $10K to $1M+ per partnership. Scale is better known for labeled training data.

## What does micro1 do?

[micro1](/buyers/micro1) calls itself a data lab. Its data partnerships page looks for "operationally mature companies with 30+ employees, established documentation." That means SOPs, knowledge bases, CRM data, project histories, bug tracking and sales playbooks.

It is "primarily looking for companies that operate in English" and prioritizes US companies, followed by other Western markets. It says companies keep ownership of their underlying data ([micro1](https://www.micro1.ai/data-partnerships)).

It states tiers of "$100k+" for qualified enterprise partnerships, "$500k+" for large or ongoing work and "$1M+" for highly unique data.

TechCrunch reported that an unnamed source put micro1's gross run rate at $500M. micro1 also offered $12.5M for Spirit Airlines' archive after Google's $10M winning bid ([Time](https://time.com/article/2026/08/25/google-spirit-airlines-ai-data-RL/)).

## What does Scale AI do?

TechCrunch describes Scale AI as a data-labeling company that "produces and labels data" used to train large language models.

Scale AI's site sells a Data Engine to enterprises and governments. It lists customers such as NVIDIA, Mayo Clinic, BP, Meta and the US Department of Defense ([scale.com](https://scale.com)).

**$14.3B** About what Meta paid for a 49% stake in Scale AI, confirmed 13 Jun 2025 ([source](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/13/scale-ai-confirms-significant-investment-from-meta-says-ceo-alexandr-wang-is-leaving/))

Meta took the stake at a $29B valuation ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/13/scale-ai-confirms-significant-investment-from-meta-says-ceo-alexandr-wang-is-leaving/)). Scale recruits contributors through Outlier and Remotasks.

Scale also runs a [data partnership](https://scale.com/data-partnership) for companies. It says it turns de-identified workflow records into training data, and you approve each data package before it moves. Our [Scale AI profile](/buyers/scale-ai) keeps the record field by field.

## How do the micro1 and Scale AI company-data programs compare?

micro1 and Scale AI both pay companies for operating records, on different floors. micro1 asks for 30+ employees and states tiers from $100K+. Scale AI prefers 40+ employees and calls its $10K to $1M+ range illustrative.

**micro1 and Scale AI company-data programs side by side**

| Term | micro1 | Scale AI |
|---|---|---|
| Stated size | 30+ employees, mature operations | 40+ employees preferred, case by case |
| Stated pay | Tiers of $100K+, $500K+ and $1M+ | $10K to $1M+ per partnership, illustrative |
| Records named | SOPs, knowledge bases, CRM data, project histories | Warehouses, chat, email, documents, work tools, business platforms |
| Privacy step | PII removed when relevant, isolated pipelines | Anonymized inside your environment, approval per package |
| Pick this when | You want stated tiers from $100K | You want approval on every data package |

Both figures are each company's own. Neither names the labs that receive the data, so ask before any export.

## What do court records say about Scale?

*McKinney v. Scale AI*, a California class action over how Scale classified its Outlier and Remotasks contributors, carries a $12.5M settlement with a final approval hearing on 30 Oct 2026 ([OpenClassActions](https://openclassactions.com/settlements/employment-law/scale-ai-contributor-misclassification-class-action-settlement.php)).

The defendants deny wrongdoing. The case involves no company records.

For micro1's record, see [how micro1's data partnership works](/guides/micro1-data-partnership) and [is micro1 legit](/answers/is-micro1-legit). Before any call, run the [rights check](/rights-check).

micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)

Have a lawyer read any contract before you sign. They like that.

[Apply to micro1's data partnership (paid link)](https://req.micro1.ai/post/74520e8b-4673-4da5-b855-53609aaf6710?referralCode=f82e519e-5d64-4e0e-9574-760c84371cf2&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=data_referral) · [micro1's own data-partnerships page](https://www.micro1.ai/data-partnerships)

_Paid link. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)_

_Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one._

## Sources

- [micro1](https://www.micro1.ai/data-partnerships)
- [Time](https://time.com/article/2026/08/25/google-spirit-airlines-ai-data-RL/)
- [scale.com](https://scale.com/)
- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/13/scale-ai-confirms-significant-investment-from-meta-says-ceo-alexandr-wang-is-leaving/)
- [data partnership](https://scale.com/data-partnership)
- [OpenClassActions](https://openclassactions.com/settlements/employment-law/scale-ai-contributor-misclassification-class-action-settlement.php)
- [micro1 company referral](https://www.micro1.ai/company-referral)
- [micro1 referral terms](https://www.micro1.ai/legal/referral-terms)