Meet Justin, Aether’s $20,000 Grand Prize winner

Every so often, a moment happens inside the Outlier community that reminds us why this work matters. Our call with Justin, the winner of Aether’s $20,000 grand prize raffle, was one of those moments.

Justin lives in Indianapolis, where he splits his time between managing operations for a bathroom-remodeling company and doing contract recruiting. He’s been tasking with Outlier for just over a year, after a friend recommended the platform.

At first, he wasn’t sure what to think.

“I was definitely skeptical,” he laughed. “I kept asking my friend, ‘Are you sure this is legit? Why do they need my bank info?’ But once a few projects came through, I realized I really enjoyed it.”

Why Outlier clicked for him

Justin had already been using AI tools in his day job, but Aether pushed him to think differently, and he found he really enjoyed the work. 

“It challenged my mind. I learned things I didn’t expect to learn.”

Tasking also helped him hit real financial goals:
• He maxed out his Roth IRA this year
• He funded hobbies and a few well-earned vacations
• He used Aether as flexible, fill-in-the-gaps income across two jobs and raising two teenagers

He tasks in the quiet pockets of life: slow stretches at work, evenings at home, or anytime the house is still.

The moment everything changed

When Justin hopped onto a Zoom call this week, he thought it was for a feedback interview. He even had notes prepared.

Instead, he heard this:

“Justin, you’re the winner of the $20,000 Aether grand prize.”

For a full second, nothing happened — then everything happened all at once.

“Are you kidding? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I never win anything! I almost missed this meeting!”

His next thought? Christmas.

This year, Justin had planned heartfelt, handmade gifts: jars of honey from his own bees, and black raspberry jam from bushes he grows on his small property.

“I told my parents a jar of honey doesn’t look like a lot, but it takes 100 bees to make a drop. It’s a year of work. Now I’m thinking… maybe I need to go bigger.”

Even once the shock wore off, he kept circling back to the same sentiment:

“I’m blown away. I truly don’t know what to do with this yet… maybe a really nice vacation.”

Helping us build a better Aether

One of the best parts of the call was that Justin still wanted to share feedback, even after hearing he’d won.

He told us he wishes task feedback were more detailed, so contributors can see what to improve. He also described what it feels like to receive a large batch of scoring all at once without clarity on what went wrong.

This kind of insight is exactly what helps us refine the Aether experience, and our team is already taking it forward.

A moment for the whole community

Justin’s win became a bright spot for our entire team, the kind of moment that stays with you. His joy, his disbelief, his thoughtfulness… it all captured what Aether is becoming: a place where real people bring real skill, curiosity, and care to the work of building AI systems.

Congratulations, Justin! Thank you for letting us be part of this moment.

We can’t wait to see where this takes you.