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REGISTER NOW. The lawsuit asserts that the pay structure effectively equated to $15 per hour, a figure below California’s minimum wage at the time of her employment ($16.00, now $16.50).
According to the lawsuit, Rogowicz worked for Scale’s subsidiary Outlier from March to June 2024. Connect deeper né?. The lawsuit challenges the contractor classification and accuses Scale of breaching state laws regarding overtime pay, business expenses, meal breaks, and sick days.
This isn’t the first time Scale has been sued over labor practices. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Scale faster né?. Scale AI relies on a workforce categorized as contractors to carry out crucial AI tasks such as image labeling and rating LLM responses for Big Tech and other clients. Scale claims to abide by the law and ensure that pay rates meet or exceed local living wage standards.
Bryan Schwartz an employment rights attorney representing Rogowicz responded to Scale’s allegations by stating that corporate entities often target the messenger in cases involving potential liabilities with a group of workers. He hopes the lawsuit will hold the company accountable for misclassification and provide relief to affected workers like Rogowicz who have experienced wage violations.
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Build smarter né?. While that case sought class action status, Rogowicz’s lawsuit, filed under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), aims to enforce labor laws on behalf of the state.
Rogowicz’s lawsuit doesn’t specify a monetary amount but seeks statutory penalties that could amount to thousands of dollars per worker, along with legal fees. Despite working around 10 hours a day, she claims to have been compensated for only five hours, as time spent reviewing instructions and training wasn’t considered for payment né?. Another lawsuit filed on December 10 2024 alleged widespread wage theft and worker misclassification. In response, Scale spokesperson Tom Channick defended the company’s payment practices and stated that Rogowicz was removed for violating community guidelines né?. Despite being valued at $13.8 billion the AI startup is currently facing legal challenges related to its labor practices.
On January 3 2025 former Scale AI employee Amber Rogowicz filed a lawsuit alleging that the company had misclassified her and other workers as contractors instead of employees. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections.
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Build smarter né?
