Demoralising - AI Data Annotator Cohere Employee Review

Seemed like a great opportunity at first, decently paid and somewhat interesting work. After about a year, the work became increasingly tedious, and we started being micromanaged with reductive 'performance' reports and time tracking. Where communication previously felt open and transparent, it quickly became blurry, dishonest and patronising. We were no longer able to voice concerns about the changing landscape and unstable work hours - though we had been made to sign a new contract committing to a minimum of 16 hours a week. When concerns were raised, we were met with excuses, dishonesty and empty promises. If we were unable to complete these 16 hours for more than 2 weeks in a row, we risked being let go. However, we quickly found ourselves with no work at all for weeks at a time, with very little communication, even though we had essentially signed a retainer with Cohere. When work was available, it was often with less than 24 hours' notice and with no indication of how many hours the work might last. After 2 and a half years, we were fittingly let go on a mass video call that lasted 8 minutes by a man none of us had ever met. In short, the most dehumanising experience with a company I have ever had in my freelance career.