Every major platform in this market is moving the same direction at the same time, and Turing Frontier is the clearest statement of it.
Key takeaways
- Turing announced Turing Frontier on 9 April 2026, a platform providing AI labs with access to elite US professionals across software engineering, STEM, and enterprise knowledge work in.
- 1069 live listings in this category publish a rate, at a median top-of-range of $90 an hour and a ceiling of $400.
- The work is remote contract work, asynchronous, with no set hours and no guaranteed volume.
- Applications screen on a short skills assessment rather than a resume or interview.
What was reported
The finding
Turing announced Turing Frontier on 9 April 2026, a platform providing AI labs with access to elite US professionals across software engineering, STEM, and enterprise knowledge work in finance, legal, medicine, life sciences, energy and manufacturing. The company described it as designed from the ground up to ensure advanced AI models have access to rigorously vetted and verified elite experts.
Launched on 9 April 2026, Frontier targets US professionals in software engineering, STEM, and enterprise knowledge work across finance, legal, medicine, life sciences, energy and manufacturing. The stated design goal is rigorously vetted and verified elite experts.
What the listings pay
Put it beside xAI cutting generalist tutors to expand specialists tenfold, and micro1 contracting doctors, lawyers and scientists, and the pattern is not subtle. The market for general availability is shrinking. The market for verifiable professional expertise is what everyone is building for.
| # | Role | Advertised rate | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BigLaw lawyers | $140 to $400 an hour | micro1 |
| 2 | CUDA Engineering Expert | $300 to $300 an hour | Mercor |
| 3 | Street Performing Musician | $100 to $300 an hour | micro1 |
| 4 | Data Scientist | $245 to $280 an hour | micro1 |
| 5 | US-Based Business Owners Using Google Chat | $250 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 6 | Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research | $200 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 7 | Senior Design Expert - Paid AI Design Research Study | $150 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 8 | Physician Talent Network | $110 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer Talent Network | $70 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 10 | Disease-Area Clinician, Trial Endpoints & Prescribing | $150 to $230 an hour | Mercor |
Source: 1069 live listings on this board that publish a rate, read directly from each posting on 2026-09-06. Listings without a published rate are excluded rather than estimated.
How this compares across the board
A rate only means something next to the alternatives. This is every category we track with at least five listings publishing a rate, ranked by median top-of-range, so you can see where this work sits rather than taking a single number on trust.
| Category | Listings | Median low | Median top | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal | 95 | $100 | $140 | $400 |
| Medical | 68 | $77 | $120 | $400 |
| Consulting | 45 | $80 | $120 | $280 |
| Finance | 94 | $80 | $110 | $280 |
| Engineering | 114 | $70 | $100 | $300 |
| Research/PhD | 132 | $70 | $90 | $280 |
| Writing | 36 | $40 | $80 | $280 |
| Bilingual | 78 | $44 | $52 | $120 |
| Annotation | 25 | $12 | $24 | $120 |
Same source and date as above. Categories are matched on listing title, so a role can appear in more than one.
What it means for you
Two practical notes. Frontier is US-focused, so check eligibility before investing time. And there is no exclusivity between these platforms, so being on several is straightforwardly better than being on one. Across 1069 live listings on our board that publish a rate, the median top-of-range is $90 an hour, reaching $400. Compare platforms in our platform guide.
Who should apply
Two checks before you spend time on an application. Confirm the role accepts applicants from your country with the eligibility checker, since a meaningful share of listings carry location requirements. Then run the advertised rate through the take-home calculator, because this is contract work and the headline figure is before self-employment tax.
Applications complete on the hiring platform and usually take a few minutes, with a short skills assessment in place of an interview. Fill in every credential, language and professional background field on your profile. Those are what route you to the better paid listings, and most applicants leave them blank.
Frequently asked questions
What is Turing Frontier?
A platform announced on 9 April 2026 connecting AI labs with elite US professionals across software engineering, STEM, and enterprise knowledge work.
Which fields does it cover?
Finance, legal, medicine, life sciences, energy and manufacturing, alongside software engineering and STEM.
Is it open to applicants outside the US?
It is described as a platform for elite US professionals, so check eligibility carefully before applying.
Should I use it instead of Mercor or micro1?
Alongside, not instead. There is no exclusivity, the listings differ, and applications are short.
What do these expert roles pay?
Across 1069 live listings we track publishing a rate, the median top-of-range is $90 an hour, reaching $400.
Sources
See every live role
The full board updates several times a week, with the advertised rate on each listing and closed roles removed.