BreakingEven

Dropping the Pen Name

Joshua Drake·Breaking Even··Updated

When I started the site I went back and forth on using my own name. I didn't want to have it out there, so I settled on using my first and middle names, figuring that would give me enough distance. After trying that out for a while, I've decided that maintaining a separate name is about as hard as maintaining two homes. It's a lot of overhead, and much more work and planning than I expected. After mapping out what would be needed to keep the pen name going long term, I decided it was best for me to be like water and take the path of least resistance.

Soon you'll see my middle name, Everett, disappear and my last name, Drake, start showing up. I figured in for a penny, in for a pound, so you'll also see my very limited social media handles. I wanted to give you a heads-up before the changes started landing. Nothing nefarious — I'm just not about extra work for no reason.

Read Next

Outlier AI, DataAnnotation & Alignerr Reviewed: A Field Guide to the AI Gig Economy
The AI gig economy is the 'Wild West.' We visualized the top platforms as trading cards to help you choose your player.
Outlier AI Account Issues: The Algorithm Will Never Love You Back
The algorithm doesn't care about your effort — and when it decides you're done, there's no warning, and there is no HR department to hear your side of the story. Here is how to navigate the lose-lose scenarios of remote work without losing your mind — or your money.
AI Is Going to College. The Generalist Era Is Over.
The first phase of AI training is winding down. The second phase has different admission requirements — and the workers who understand that distinction right now are the ones who will still be earning twelve months from now.
DataAnnotation & Outlier AI Work Drought: Why Tasks Disappear and How to Survive It
Is your DataAnnotation queue empty? Discover the lifecycle of the AI gig worker, from the first payout to the inevitable 'No Tasks Available' screen, and learn how to survive the bust.
AI Training Jobs in 2026: Which Platforms Actually Pay? (The Tier List)
Forget the hype. We ranked every major AI training platform by what actually matters — pay reliability, work volume, and whether they'll ghost you. Updated for February 2026.

What workers are talking about

Loading the latest threads…
Was this helpful?

Comments

Leave a comment

Your email won't be published.

Joshua Drake has worked on AI training platforms for over four years, tracking earnings, sentiment data, and platform stability across Outlier, DataAnnotation, Alignerr, and others. He has a degree in data analytics and runs this site, breakingeven.online and the sentiment analysis used to derive a sense of what is happening in a world often hiding in the shadows.