Scale AI, a San Francisco artificial intelligence firm valued at nearly $14 billion, laid off a significant number of contract workers this week with little warning.
The affected workers were notified via email on Monday by HireArt, the third-party human resources software vendor used by Scale. The message, obtained by Inc., stated that employees “no longer need to report to work,” and advised them to expect their final paychecks by Friday.
Despite initial social media reports suggesting that 1,300 employees were affected, a Scale spokesperson clarified that the number is substantially lower.
“Over the past year, Scale has worked on different projects with different onboarding and oversight needs,” the spokesperson said. “Last week, less than 65 people were laid off. We built up this contracted workforce and scaled it to appropriate sizing as our operating model evolved over the past nine months, less than 500 have been laid off in the United States.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/scale-ai-layoffs-contract-workers-19728351.php