TaskUs faces $3Mn lawsuit from AI founders in contract dispute
TEXAS, UNITED STATES — Two Americans working in Japan have filed a lawsuit against New Braunfels-based digital outsourcing firm TaskUs, claiming the company breached contracts and failed to pay over US$3.14 million in bonuses and stock‑related payouts tied to the sale of their artificial intelligence (AI) company.
According to a report from the Austin American-Statesman, the suit, filed in the United States District Court in San Antonio in early December, centers on unpaid compensation from their previous employer and alleged indemnity obligations that TaskUs reportedly neglected.
AI founders allege $3Mn in unpaid bonuses
Matthew Skyrm and Matthew Romaine, founders of Tokyo-based Gengo K.K., allege that TaskUs owes them as much as US$1.57 million each in unpaid bonuses and restricted stock units from Lionbridge Technologies Inc., which acquired their AI translation company in 2019.
According to the lawsuit, Lionbridge kept the duo on to “grow and expand the AI business,” with compensation that included cash bonuses and 200,000 restricted stock units each, payable immediately if the company was sold.
The parent company, Gengo Inc., was later sold to Telus International Inc. for US$930 million in December 2020. Telus relies on TaskUs for “customer support, technical support and other back-office services,” the lawsuit notes.
After the sale, Skyrm and Romaine resigned from Lionbridge in May 2021 to join TaskUs, where Skyrm became vice president and head of AI operations, and Romaine worked as an outside consultant.
The plaintiffs argue that TaskUs entered into indemnity agreements requiring it to cover any remaining unpaid amounts due to Lionbridge. Through September 2024, TaskUs reportedly paid US$134,016 toward legal claims filed by Skyrm and Romaine in Tokyo.
The suit further alleges that TaskUs Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bryce Maddock suggested in March 2024 “cancelling the deal for a payout” due to “open‑ended liability” being “bad” for the company.
TaskUs legal troubles extend beyond bonus dispute
This lawsuit is not the only legal challenge facing TaskUs.
Earlier this year, the company agreed to a US$17.5 million settlement to resolve a securities class‑action lawsuit over alleged misstatements in its 2021 IPO filings, specifically, claims that it misrepresented its “low employee attrition rate” and favorable workplace ratings.
Separately, a May 2025 class action complaint was filed in New York regarding a data breach at a major client, accusing TaskUs of failing to safeguard customer information and of violating consumer‑protection laws.
Together with the new AI‑bonus lawsuit, these overlapping legal challenges underscore growing scrutiny of TaskUs’ business practices, internal disclosures, and risk management.
TaskUs growth amid legal challenges
Despite the lawsuit, TaskUs’ AI business continues to expand rapidly, with growth of more than 50% over each of the past three quarters.
Maddock said the company plans to increase its “investments in Generative AI led transformation services to support our clients in the AI era.”
TaskUs also reported record third-quarter revenue and doubled its profit, even amid a failed attempt by co-founders Maddock and Jaspar Weir to go private through a US$1.5 billion buyout plan.
As the outsourcing industry increasingly pivots toward AI‑enabled services and global operations, the dispute underscores how contractual complexity, particularly around acquisitions, indemnities, and employee incentives, can generate significant liabilities.
For a firm like TaskUs, which has touted rapid growth in its AI business and is pursuing aggressive expansion, balancing ambition with transparent, enforceable agreements may be key to avoiding further legal and reputational risk.
