Originally a spin-off from Russian tech giant Yandex, Toloka now operates independently under the Amsterdam-based Nebius Group, listed on the Nasdaq. The company uses human input to fine-tune AI models, a method increasingly critical as artificial intelligence systems are adopted across sensitive and complex sectors.
The funding arrives at a critical moment for Toloka, following Nebius’s $5.4 billion split from Yandex—a move that freed the firm from restrictions tied to Russian sanctions. This reorganization has made it possible for U.S. investors, like Bezos, to participate.
“The important thing about this round is that we gained the needed flexibility to operate independently,” said CEO Olga Megorskaya in an interview with Reuters.
Parakhin, the CTO of Shopify, has also joined the company’s board as executive chairman, bringing further tech expertise and industry weight. He emphasized the increasing global demand for trusted and high-quality AI training data, especially in enterprise and regulatory-sensitive applications.
Bezos’s presence at Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration in Washington coincided with the announcement, underscoring the merging of tech leadership and political visibility. As artificial intelligence takes on greater influence in both economic and security frameworks, Toloka’s role as a trusted data source is only expected to grow.