Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang heads to Meta as part of $14 billion deal

Alexandr Wang, co-founder and CEO of Scale AI, told employees Thursday he is stepping down to join Meta Platforms, confirming his exit just days after Meta acquired a 49% stake in the company through a $14.3 billion investment.

In a company-wide note, Wang said he will lead Meta’s new “superintelligence” lab, a research unit focused on developing advanced artificial intelligence systems. He described the decision to leave Scale as personally difficult but strategically necessary. “This decision did not come easily,” he wrote. “But the opportunity to build something fundamentally new and important demanded my undivided attention.”

The 28-year-old self-made billionaire, whose estimated net worth is now $3.6 billion, will retain a seat on Scale’s board of directors. Reflecting on the company’s origins, he added, “I started this company right out of freshman year of MIT and never looked back. I wouldn’t change a minute of it.”

Wang founded Scale AI in 2016 with engineer Lucy Guo, who left the company in 2018 following internal disagreements. Although she departed early, Guo retained a significant equity stake and has since become the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, surpassing Taylor Swift.

Originally built to support businesses developing AI systems, Scale grew by hiring thousands of contract workers to label and clean massive datasets used to train machine learning models.

Meta’s investment values the company at nearly $29 billion and expands its commercial partnership with Scale. Despite Meta’s 49% stake, Scale will continue to operate independently. Jason Droege, the company’s chief strategy officer, has been appointed interim CEO.

Wang’s departure comes as Meta works to deepen its position in artificial intelligence research. The company has made technical progress with its LLaMA model but continues to trail OpenAI and Google DeepMind in areas such as model performance and core system design.

According to Meta, the new lab will focus on foundational research with longer development timelines. Wang’s appointment signals a shift toward more internal efforts as Meta looks to build beyond its current generative AI tools.

Analysts have raised concerns that Meta’s investment could compromise Scale’s neutrality as an infrastructure provider in the AI ecosystem. With Meta now holding a near-half stake, some industry leaders warn the deal could alienate clients who compete with Meta or depend on vendor independence.

Google, reportedly Scale’s largest customer, plans to end its relationship with the company. Analysts say the move could also attract regulatory scrutiny over competition and data access.