Meta Buys 49% of Scale AI as 28‑Year‑Old Dropout CEO Joins Its New Superintelligence Team
Meta just bought half of Scale AI. But the real shock? Its 28-year-old CEO quit to build “superintelligence” for Zuckerberg.
Meta has made a bold move in the AI world. It invested $14.3 billion to buy a 49% non‑voting stake in Scale AI, valuing the company at $29 billion. At the same time, Scale’s 28‑year‑old founder and CEO, Alexandr Wang, is stepping down to join Meta. He will lead a new “superintelligence” team focused on building AI systems that can reason, plan, and act.
Quick Take
- Deal: Meta buys 49% of Scale AI for $14.3B, valuing it at $29B.
- Founder: 28-year-old MIT dropout Alexandr Wang steps down to join Meta.
- Revenue: Scale earned $870M in 2024; Google paid around $150M.
- New Role: Wang now leads Meta’s Superintelligence lab.
- Industry Shift: Google, Microsoft, xAI are reconsidering partnerships with Scale.
Who Is Alexandr Wang?
Alexandr Wang is a tech star. He dropped out of MIT and co‑founded Scale AI in 2016 when he was just 19 years old. By age 24, he was a billionaire.
He built Scale into a critical part of the AI ecosystem and became known for his work with the U.S. government and top tech firms. Now, he’s leaving the company he built to lead Meta’s most ambitious AI initiative yet.
My note to Scale employees today— pic.twitter.com/JKi35Yhvi1
— Alexandr Wang (@alexandr_wang) June 13, 2025
What Is Scale AI, and Why Is It Important?
Scale AI is a data-labeling company. Its job is to sort, label, and clean massive amounts of data so AI systems can learn from it. Without this kind of work, even the smartest AI models would be blind.
Scale serves customers like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Defense, and more. In 2024 alone, Scale earned about $870 million, and Google reportedly spent $150 million on its services. That makes Scale a quiet but powerful part of nearly every top-tier AI model in use today.
Meta’s New “Superintelligence” Team
Meta has launched a new internal lab to build what it calls “superintelligence.” These are AI models that go beyond today’s chatbots and image generators. The goal is to build systems that can reason, plan ahead, and solve complex problems on their own.
Alexandr Wang will lead this team. A few employees from Scale will join him. This signals a shift for Meta. Until now, it focused on open-source tools like LLaMA. But with rivals racing ahead, Meta is now going all in on the next generation of AI development.
What Meta Gets With This Deal
- High-quality data – Scale’s labeled datasets are used by the best AI models in the world.
- Top talent – Alexandr Wang brings knowledge, leadership, and trust in both Washington and Silicon Valley.
- A chance to catch up – Meta has fallen behind in the AI race. This deal gives it a new path forward.
Meta once led in open-source AI. But recent setbacks and leadership changes slowed its progress. Now, with Scale’s infrastructure and talent, Meta may finally be back in the game.
The Risk to Scale AI
Not everyone is happy about this deal. Many of Scale’s clients, including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and xAI—are reportedly reconsidering their partnerships. Their fear? Meta might gain indirect access to sensitive model training data.
Google, Scale’s biggest customer, is already planning to cut ties with the company. This creates new pressure on Scale to rebuild trust, or lose its place in the AI supply chain.
What This Means for the AI Race
Meta’s deal with Scale AI changes more than just who owns what. It reshapes the power map of the entire AI world.
Until now, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and xAI depended on Scale AI to prepare their data. With Meta now holding nearly half the company and hiring its CEO, trust is at risk. Google is already pulling back, and others may follow.
Sources: Google, Scale AI's largest customer, plans to cut ties with the company after the Meta deal; Microsoft, OpenAI, and xAI also plan to step back (Reuters)https://t.co/bKnpk7P7Ichttps://t.co/cqEyMExpqIhttps://t.co/ZOzeer2dpR
— Techmeme (@Techmeme) June 13, 2025
This puts pressure on rivals to find other data-labeling partners, or build their own.
Meanwhile, Meta gets a direct line into the data pipelines that fuel next-gen models. It also gains a leader who knows what competitors are building and how they train.
The AI race is no longer just about the best models. It’s also about who controls the data, the tools, and the talent behind them.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just another billion-dollar tech deal. It’s a turning point in the race for AI dominance.
A 28-year-old college dropout built one of the most important AI infrastructure companies in the world. Now, he’s leading Meta’s charge into the future.
Meta, once seen as behind OpenAI and Google, is betting big, on data, on leadership, and on a future powered by smarter AI.
But the path forward isn’t smooth. If clients walk away from Scale, Meta’s win could turn into a long-term liability.
Still, this deal shows one clear truth: the future of AI isn’t just about flashy demos or chatbot tricks. It’s about the systems that feed them, and the people bold enough to build them.
Also read: The Netherlands Is Why We Have AI, Not the U.S., Not China, Not Even NVIDIA
