Meta (META, Financial) has announced a landmark $14.8 billion investment in AI startup Scale AI, acquiring a 49% non-voting stake. This marks Meta's second-largest acquisition after WhatsApp. The deal aims to bring 28-year-old founder Alexandr Wang to Meta, where he will lead the newly established "Super Intelligence Department." This collaboration aims to enhance AI model integration and data training resources, with the department focusing on developing the next generation of artificial general intelligence (AGI), a cornerstone of Meta's future AI strategy.
Alexandr Wang, a second-generation Chinese American born in 1997, is already valued at over $1 billion, owning about 15% of Scale AI. Known for his exceptional skills in mathematics and science, Wang dropped out of MIT to pursue entrepreneurship. He co-founded Scale AI in 2016 with Lucy Guo, securing early investment from Y Combinator. In just two years, both were listed in Forbes' 30 Under 30.
Scale AI has raised over $603 million to date, with clients including Microsoft (MSFT), Toyota (TM), and PayPal (PYPL), affirming its critical role in AI data annotation.
