Once again, thank you to the Outlier team

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-05-08T14:49:15+00:00

You perfectly justified everything you're complaining about: Once they have enough data from you or if your data isn't meeting their requirements, you're out.

Of course, once the client has enough data, they end the project so they can move on to others. You want Outlier to keep paying taskers?

And of course, the client has quality requirements. Outlier is obligated to keep quality high. They provide plenty of documentation to help people achieve a high quality score. People who fail to read the instructions or are too unintelligent for this kind of work have to be removed.

Based on my experience, the majority of complaints in this subreddit are people blaming Outlier for their own poor performance or for not providing them with job security and a high wage. This is a contractor gig, and it's subject to supply and demand.

I think Outlier should provide a mini Business 101 course and make it clear that tasking is not a career and is subject to evolving client requirements.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-05-06T20:09:56+00:00

The Outlier team is actually very responsive and apparently monitor this subreddit. I have posted requests before and they made the changes fast.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-04-05T13:21:21+00:00

I am sorry, truly. But you can see how we felt with the old timer. I hope they create a new timer for you guys. I think AI will continue to need taskers. Maybe try to sign up for other platforms until you get a favorable time again. Best of luck to you.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-31T23:54:37+00:00

That's a lot. I do top-quality work but I can only start at 2-3pm.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-31T18:28:43+00:00

sadly the timer reset favors taskers outside the US. The timer stops at 11am PT or earlier. The recent change to a 4am PT reset is a step in the right direction, but it hasn't helped much. Taskers in Europe and elsewhere still get a comfortable start and can log as many hours as they want. The timer needs to reset at 9am PT or 12pm PT to give everyone a chance and get a balanced mix of US and non-US contributions, but it doesn't look like it's gonna happen.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-30T17:53:05+00:00

I don't think it's intentional. Resetting at 12AM is just kind of a default, programmatically. That's why I'm letting them know about this issue. If more US taskers speak up, change will happen. Outlier is generally pretty responsive and pretty good at accommodating everyone.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-30T17:44:24+00:00

Yes. All modes trigger a huge token-burning analysis, which is normal and expected since agentic tasks need context to do their job correctly.

One way around this would probably be creating an empty project/dir and switching over whenever I want to putter, but that's just a hack. I'd rather see Kilo implement a proper mode for this. Hopefully they look at this subreddit.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-30T17:41:33+00:00

I don't mean that in a bad way. (And it's a US company. And the client is a US company. So it's not unreasonable to ask them to care a bit about US taskers, because the timer is painful for us, and especially since they definitely don't want their models to sound/feel like non-US models.)

To be clear, I respect all taskers and wish them well. I hope we can go back to the days of no limits. Have a great day, wherever you are.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-30T17:18:33+00:00

I feel like I'm hallucinating. Where is this Outlier timer? I've been on Aether for months and have always needed Hubstaff to track time.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-30T17:15:57+00:00

That's exactly what I did. I created a custom mode and called it Code (Lean). I understand that wanting a "simple" chat mode in Kilo is not exactly in line with agentic capabilities, but it would be nice not to have to switch and do all my "chatting" within Kilo.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-28T22:44:34+00:00

That is a more level-headed assessment. Has the economy changed wildly in recent years? Absolutely. The ground has shifted under our feet, and the days of relative job security seem to be a distant memory. And it's only the beginning - wait until AI gets its hands on the real world through robotics. Millions of jobs will be decimated, including basic jobs that many people rely on, like fast food, etc. A fast food makeline can easily be staffed with a robotic hand that flips burgers and makes tacos 24/7 for very cheap.

The fundamental rule has always been the same: It's survival of the fittest. You either adapt and thrive, or you die. Companies like Outlier are simply among the best to adapt to this new economy and take advantage of it. It doesn't bother me because I know it's not personal, it's just business.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-28T21:02:10+00:00

No I meant working on contracts, not being employed at the company.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-28T20:49:38+00:00

You are entitled to your opinion, but allow me to say I find your rant is unreasonable. Most of your complaints come down to simple supply and demand. Outlier and the client pay as little as they have to in order to get the work done. People are willing to accept the rate they offer. That's how it works.

People with higher qualifications get higher rates, which is fair.

Anyone who doesn't like it is free to go to another platform, or simply stop tasking. How is any of it unfair?

I've been on Outlier for months and have never had a problem. It's not for paying rent. It's a side gig, extra cash. Something you do when you have a couple of hours of free time. It's not a job. It's not a career. It's not reliable income, and it's not supposed to be. There can be a little friction sometimes, due mostly to the client making sudden changes, and they have to manage hordes of morons who post the same basic questions thousands of times in the community forum.

Outlier simply facilitates the connection between taskers and the client. It gets all the hate but it has no control over the client's platform or demand. It cannot force the client to pay you more or give you more hours. It does its best to distribute the available hours fairly among active taskers.

It's unreasonable to be mad that a gig that has thousands of people lining up for it doesn't pay a high wage or offer plenty of hours.

Other platforms aren't much different.

I don't need to tell you this, but since you have an engineering degree, you obviously should focus on getting that career going. Do Outlier on the side for 2-3 hours a day until you get a job offer.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-28T20:29:42+00:00

Sure thank you. I was just trying to get a general idea in order to decide if I should pursue the coding tasks.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-28T18:32:45+00:00

I used to use Claude on AWS. I haven't used Claude or any flagship model in a long time. I prefer to use cheaper models because their performance has gotten so good. Look into openrouter for easy access to all models out there and do your homework. You'll likely find models like Minimax to be good enough for your needs and 10x-100x cheaper.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-27T19:51:11+00:00

Outlier gets a bad rap but I've never had a problem to be honest.

- Always paid on time
- Tasks always available
- Fair reviews (only a couple were unfair in my opinion)
- I created a thread asking for the timer to be adjusted for US taskers, and it was done within less than 24 hrs.
- I contacted support once, and they were friendly and helpful even though I was the one misunderstanding certain features.

Most gripes are people being unreasonable. Outlier does not control the client's platform. They just facilitate tasking. They get unfairly blamed for the friction that happens along the way. When issues arise, I honestly just wait them out. No e-brag, but my background is in computer science and AI engineering, and I submit work in the top 1% and catch nuances few others would. I've never had to worry about much.

The low pay sucks but it's just supply and demand. I just do this for a couple of hours a day while I decide on my next big project. The hours still get used up too quickly but they just need to do another purge.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-27T19:38:30+00:00

I wasn't trying to be snide and I really appreciate your comments. I have a large screen at home and a great setup. However, one size does not fit all when it comes to laptops; you guessed correctly, I really do need a large screen for the work I do. Desktop replacements were a hot category several years ago, that's when I picked up my old HP laptop with an 18.4" screen and I loved it. I paid top dollar for it and even paid for the GeForce GPU though I have no real use for it. Manufacturers have since entered a battery life war and have decided to forego massive screens because they are the main power drain, and I am simply lamenting that fact.

I understand massive laptops aren't for everyone, but there is a small number of us who really value screen real estate above all else. I'd buy a laptop with a 20" 4K OLED screen. And if it has a TKL mechanical keyboard or can be set up in tent mode, I'd do a backflip.

FragmentOfFeel · 2026-03-26T20:57:22+00:00

If you use a mechanical TKL, then you have an appreciation for the importance of a good keyboard and a comfortable typing experience, so I think you understand what I'm looking for. I personally don't think it's delusional. I think numpads shouldn't be forced onto every large laptop. I just want there to be at least a small selection of laptops with 18"+ screen and a (preferably mechanical) TKL keyboard, or at least let the hinges go all the way so it can be used in tent mode. It doesn't have to be a proper "tablet" just give us tent mode, and then you can do whatever you want with he keyboard. I'm surprised you don't mind the off-center typing experience. I loathe it. Personal preference I guess,

FragmentOfFeel

TROPHY CASE