Outlier's Multimango Generalist Work Ended, and Aether Still Runs on It
Multimango's open generalist work on Outlier wound down between late 2025 and early 2026. Outlier's Aether project still runs its image and video tasks in MultiMango. Where generalists are hiring now.
If you worked on Outlier AI and lost your task queue, or keep seeing "Multimango" mentioned without context, this is the full picture.
Multimango's open generalist work wound down between late 2025 and early 2026. The contract phase that hired generalists at scale ran its course, and the platform did not collapse. MultiMango is still the tool Outlier's Aether project runs in, with a smaller group of workers doing image and video evaluation. If you were removed from Aether recently, our guide to Aether removals and reinstatement covers that case.
Multimango ran its course on schedule, and Outlier itself is still active
- The open generalist phase ended between late 2025 and early 2026, on a timeline some workers say was listed in their onboarding documents from the start.
- MultiMango is the task tool, and Aether is Outlier's project name for the work inside it. Aether still runs, with fewer workers and harder image and video tasks.
- It ran across five platforms at once: Outlier, Telus, RWS, Mercor, and CrowdGen, all working the same underlying tasks.
- Outlier itself is still hiring. Generalist projects continue to rotate through the Marketplace tab and Outlier Discourse.
- Generalist projects close faster than specialist ones, so moving toward coding, math, or another specialist track is the most reliable way to avoid the same disruption again.
- Alignerr, SME Careers, Vetto, and Handshake are all actively hiring generalists right now if you need somewhere to apply today.
What Was Project Multimango?
MultiMango is the task tool where the work is done. On Outlier AI (Scale AI's freelance platform), the project inside it is called Aether. Workers see status and pay on Outlier and open MultiMango to work. The same client work ran across several vendors at once, including Outlier, Telus, RWS, Mercor, CrowdGen and Workada, so workers on different platforms were often doing the same tasks without knowing it.
The tasks are mostly visual judgment: choosing the best AI edit of a photo, judging images generated from sketches, drawing boxes on screenshots, and rating model answers to conversations that mix text, images and video. No specialist degree was required. Workers report $5 to $25 an hour depending on country, and the low entry bar made it one of the more accessible projects in the market in 2025.
Multimango at a Glance
- Type: Image, video and multimodal evaluation
- Outlier project name: Aether
- Available through: Outlier, Telus, RWS, Mercor, CrowdGen, Workada
- Pay range: $5 to $25 an hour, by country (worker reports)
- Status, October 2026: Open generalist phase ended; Aether still running with a smaller roster
Why Did It End?
The contract ran out. Some workers reported that their onboarding documents listed December 2025 as the expected end date. The shutdown was not abrupt from the client's side, even if it felt that way to workers.
This is a standard feature of AI training work. A company funds a training run, collects the data it needs, and closes the project. The model ships, or priorities shift. There is no foul play involved.
The pattern behind the project
AI training projects are time-limited by design. Generalist projects close faster than specialist ones because the underlying tasks (text generation, basic evaluation) get saturated quickly. Specialist projects, like code, mathematics, and medicine, run longer and pay more because the data is harder to collect at scale. If you worked on Multimango, moving toward a specialist track is the most reliable way to avoid the same situation.
Generalist Alternatives Hiring Now
The platforms below are actively hiring generalist AI trainers as of mid-2026. You can also browse all open generalist jobs → directly on our job board.
Alignerr
Fastest onboarding. Active Slack community.
Backed by Labelbox. The assessment takes a few hours, and approval often comes the same day. There is an active Slack community where you can see which projects are open before you even complete onboarding. Good fit for writers, editors, and generalist evaluators.
Pay runs $15–$30/hr for generalist work and $45–$60/hr for specialist tracks, paid bi-weekly via Deel.
Availability: US and EU primarily, expanding globally.
Full Alignerr review →SME Careers
Global availability. Career progression track.
The expert network arm of SuperAnnotate. Slower to onboard than Alignerr (2–4 weeks), but it offers a clear career progression: Data Trainer → Quality Analyst → QA Lead → Project Manager. One of the few platforms with weekly payouts and meaningful advancement potential.
Pay runs $18–$35/hr at entry level and $50–$65/hr for QA Lead or PM roles, paid weekly via Deel.
Availability: Global (40+ countries).
Full SME Careers review →Vetto
Higher pay, no login required to browse open projects.
Connects professionals across legal, finance, healthcare, and software with AI evaluation projects. All open opportunities are publicly visible without an account, so you can see exactly what is available before applying. Per-task pay is competitive, and there is a referral program worth noting.
Generalist-equivalent work runs $30–$50/hr and domain-expert work runs $50–$100/hr, paid per task in local currency.
Availability: Global (remote).
View Vetto →Handshake
US students and recent graduates only.
Not an AI platform itself, but the primary recruiting network where companies like Scale AI and Imbue post student-exclusive AI Fellowship and AI Trainer roles. These cohorts tend to pay higher than general public listings and give you a named employer on your resume rather than gig-platform credits.
Note that a proposed class action filed in July 2026 alleges Handshake misclassified its AI annotators as contractors rather than employees. The claims are unanswered and untested. Our coverage of the filing has the detail.
Generalist roles run $20–$35/hr and specialist roles run $35–$65/hr, paid bi-weekly per posting.
Availability: US students and recent graduates (.edu email required).
View Handshake →Looking for live generalist task listings?
Browse all Generalist AI Jobs →How to Avoid This Situation Again
Every AI training project is a contract with a finite scope. When the data collection goal is met, the project closes. The workers who felt the least disruption when Multimango ended were the ones already active on two or three platforms.
Do this now
- Apply to 2–3 platforms this week, not sequentially
- Keep all accounts active: one login per week prevents deactivation
- Follow community channels (Discord, Slack, Discourse) to catch new project drops early
- If eligible, pursue specialist qualifications: coding and math queues run longer and pay more
Avoid these
- Waiting for a single platform to refill before applying elsewhere
- Treating any one project as a reliable long-term income source
- Letting accounts go dormant
- Platforms advertising "instant hire" with large sign-on bonuses and no assessment: reliable payers almost never work this way
FAQ
Can I still sign up for Multimango? ▼
Not as an open generalist project. The broad generalist phase wound down between late 2025 and early 2026. MultiMango is still the tool used for Outlier's Aether project, which now invites a smaller group for image and video evaluation. If you were removed from Aether, read what an Aether removal means.
Is Outlier AI still active if Multimango is gone? ▼
Yes. Outlier runs many projects beyond Multimango. Generalist options continue to rotate through their Marketplace tab. If your dashboard is empty, check the Marketplace and Outlier Discourse (their community forum, where project managers post allocations before they appear on dashboards). Specialist queues for coding and mathematics have been more consistently active than generalist ones.
What is the best option for workers in Kenya or Nigeria? ▼
SME Careers hires across 40+ countries and pays weekly. Vetto is fully global. Alignerr is expanding internationally and worth applying to. Handshake requires a US .edu address, so it is not relevant here.
Will there be another project like Multimango? ▼
Almost certainly. AI labs spin up new generalist data collection projects regularly as models move into new training phases. The names change but the structure is the same. Staying active in community channels (Alignerr Slack, Outlier Discourse, relevant subreddits) is the most reliable way to hear about new projects when they open.
How do I spot a legitimate platform vs a scam? ▼
Legitimate platforms use established ID verification (Persona, Stripe Identity), pay through recognized processors (PayPal, Payoneer, Deel, Stripe), and have verifiable company ownership. Be skeptical of platforms promising large sign-on bonuses with no assessment, or that cannot be confirmed via LinkedIn or Crunchbase. Our AI training legitimacy guide has the full checklist.
Cite this page
"Outlier's Multimango Generalist Work Ended, and Aether Still Runs on It", aitrainer.work, aitrainer.work/guides/multimango-outlier-alternatives
MSc Human-Computer Interaction | Founder
Pietro is the founder and technical lead of aitrainer.work. He builds and maintains the platform's data pipeline, certification infrastructure, and editorial standards.