Meta Pauses Work with Mercor After Data Breach Puts AI Industry Secrets at Risk

Meta has indefinitely paused all work with data contracting firm Mercor following a major security breach affecting the startup. The breach, confirmed by two sources to WIRED, has prompted Meta to launch an investigation. Other major AI labs are also reevaluating their partnerships with Mercor in response to the incident. The breach reportedly exposed AI industry secrets, though specific technical details or compromised data types were not disclosed. The incident was reported on April 4, 2026, with no prior breach date or CVE identifiers mentioned.