🎯 The Big Picture
When Zeus, a medical student living in a hilltop city in central Nigeria, returns to his studio apartment from a long day at the hospital, he turns on his ring light, straps his iPhone to his forehead, and starts recording himself. He raises his hands in front of him like a sleepwalker and puts a sheet on his bed. He moves slowly and carefully to make sure his hands stay within the camera frame.
📖 What Happened
Zeus delivers data recorder for Micro1, a US company based in Palo Alto, California that collects real-world data to sell to robotics companies. As companies like Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics race to build humanoids —robots designed to resemble and move like humans in factories and homes—videos recorded by gig workers like Zeus are becoming the hottest new way to train them. Micro1 has hired thousands of contract workers in more than 50 countries, including India, Nigeria, and Argentina, where swathes of tech-savvy young people are looking for jobs.
They’re mounting iPhones on their heads and recording themselves folding laundry, washing dishes, and cooking. The job pays well by local standards and is boosting local economies, but it raises thorny questions around privacy and informed consent. And the work can be challenging at times—and weird.
Zeus found the job in November, when people started talking about it everywhere on LinkedIn and YouTube. “This would be a real nice opportunity to set a mark and give data that will be used to train robots in the future,” he thought. Zeus is paid $15 an hour, which is good income in Nigeria’s strained economy with high unemployment rates.
💰 By the Numbers
| 📊 Metric | 💡 Context |
|---|---|
| $15 | Zeus found the job in November, when people started talking about it e... |
| $6 billion | When Zeus, a medical student living in a hilltop city in central Niger... |
| $100 million | When Zeus, a medical student living in a hilltop city in central Niger... |
| 000 years | When Zeus, a medical student living in a hilltop city in central Niger... |
🎤 Highlights
• Zeus delivers data recorder for Micro1, a US company based in Palo Alto, California that collects real-world data to sell t...
• They’re mounting iPhones on their heads and recording themselves folding laundry, washing dishes, and cooking. The job pays well b...
• Zeus found the job in November, when people started talking about it everywhere on LinkedIn and YouTube. “This would be a real nic...
🚀 Why It Matters
But as a bright-eyed student dreaming of becoming a doctor, he finds ironing his clothes for hours every day boring. “I really [do] not like it so much,” he says. “I’m the kind of person that requires … a technical job that requires me to think.
⚡ The Bottom Line
But as a bright-eyed student dreaming of becoming a doctor, he finds ironing his clothes for hours every day boring. “I really [do] not like it so much,” he says. “I’m the kind of person that requires … a technical job that requires me to think.
📰 Source: TechCrunch AI 🔗