Meta Platforms has made a significant strategic move in the artificial intelligence landscape, investing $15 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI, a data-labelling startup now valued at over $29 billion. This substantial investment positions 28-year-old Alexandr Wang, the CEO and co-founder of Scale AI and once the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, at the forefront of Meta’s newly formed superintelligence research unit. This acquisition marks a clear pivot for Meta, signaling its aggressive intent to reclaim and solidify its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, aiming to outpace rivals such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft by blending business acumen with ambitious AI development.

Alexandr Wang's journey into the tech world began early. Born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Chinese immigrant physicists, he worked at Quora before making the decision to drop out of MIT after his freshman year. In 2016, he co-founded Scale AI with Lucy Guo through the startup accelerator Y Combinator. Although Guo later departed, Wang continued to build Scale AI into a powerhouse, securing over $680 million in funding, including from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Forbes currently estimates his personal net worth at $3.6 billion, a testament to his focus on building a robust business. Beyond his entrepreneurial success, Wang has also become an influential voice in Washington, frequently engaging with lawmakers on the national security implications of AI, driven by his conviction that America’s future in warfare hinges on AI leadership.

Scale AI, founded in 2016, has served as a crucial, albeit often silent, engine of the AI boom. The company specializes in training frontier AI models by providing large volumes of meticulously labelled data. Its platforms, Remotasks and Outlier, leverage gig workers globally to annotate massive datasets, which are essential for training advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. Initially serving autonomous vehicle clients such as Toyota, Honda, and Waymo, Scale AI has expanded its reach to support major players like OpenAI and Microsoft, and even the US government, assisting in the analysis of satellite imagery from conflict zones like Ukraine. The company reported revenues of $870 million in 2024, with projections to more than double that to $2 billion in 2025, potentially pushing its valuation to $25 billion, according to Bloomberg. However, Scale AI's rapid ascent has not been without controversy, drawing criticism for the reportedly harsh working conditions and low wages—sometimes less than $1 per hour—for its offshore gig workforce, primarily based in countries such as Kenya, the Philippines, and India.

Meta’s decision to bring in Wang signifies a profound shift from its historically research-led approach to AI development. Internal challenges, including high-profile employee exits, philosophical disagreements, and delays in model releases, have reportedly hampered Meta's AI progress. While Meta’s long-time AI chief, Yann LeCun, remains a key figure, his skepticism regarding large language models (LLMs) as a primary path to artificial general intelligence (AGI) has reportedly created divergence within the company's AI leadership. By entrusting Wang, who built a multi-billion dollar business without a traditional research pedigree, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is clearly betting on a business-oriented leadership style akin to Sam Altman’s. Meta is aggressively recruiting top AI talent from competitors like OpenAI and Google, reportedly offering seven to nine-figure pay packages to staff its new 50-person superintelligence lab.

In a message to his Scale AI employees, Wang acknowledged the emotional weight of his departure, describing it as a