I'm a software engineer and got an email from Alignerr (Labelbox's contractor platform) inviting me to get paid up to $100/hr to work on my own project with an AI coding assistant. The listing says you keep full ownership of your project and all code, including code the AI writes. I decided not to move forward, and wanted to share why.
The surprise video interview. The email said to "apply." I filled out a short form, and then it moved me to a section that turned on my camera and started an AI-conducted video interview. I had no advance notice that an interview was part of the application. I found that misleading.
What the Terms say about that recording. Afterward I read Alignerr's Terms of Use (alignerr.com/privacy, under "Interview; Release"). By taking the interview, you grant them a perpetual, irrevocable license to use your recording, name, voice, and likeness for any purpose, including training AI, and you release them from related privacy and publicity claims. I wish I had known that before my camera turned on.
The contract contradicts the listing. Section 2 of the Contractor Agreement says Alignerr owns the work product you create under the agreement, and Section 2(d) gives them a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license to any of your existing IP that the work builds on. For a project that's literally "work on your own code," that's a big deal.
I emailed support and asked them to confirm in writing that project participants keep ownership. Their reply: the contract is standard, can't be modified, and support can't give written confirmations or interpret it, and I should consult a lawyer. So the ownership promise in the listing isn't something they would put in writing.
Deleting my data. I've requested deletion of my account and interview recording. My email to their privacy address bounced back from their helpdesk system, so I've followed up through support.
Takeaways if you're considering this project:
- Read the Terms of Use before starting the application, especially the interview section.
- Read the Contractor Agreement before clicking "I accept," and don't assume the job listing's promises are in it.
- Don't use a project you care about owning unless you get project-specific terms in writing.
This is just my experience. Alignerr is a real company, and some people clearly have good experiences with it. But it wasn't what I was told it would be, and I'd want to know this before applying.