From math prodigy to self-made billionaire

Within five years, Alexandr Wang's company was valued at more than $7 billion, making him the world's youngest self-made billionaire.

Alexandr Wang, co-founder and CEO of Scale AI, became the world's youngest self-made billionaire in 2022 at the age of 25. His San Francisco-based company provides software and data processing services to train large artificial intelligence models like "Chat GPT."

Born in New Mexico to Chinese parents, Alexandr Wang grew up with a strong background in science and technology. His parents were both physicists, working on research projects for the US Air Force and the military. From a young age, Wang showed outstanding mathematical abilities and frequently participated in programming competitions. He spent just one year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before teaming up with Lucy Guo, another dropout, to found Scale AI in 2016.

Within five years, Alexandr Wang’s company was valued at more than $7 billion, making him the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. However, the journey has not always been smooth. After falling off the billionaire list in 2023 due to the company’s declining value, Wang quickly rebounded with support from new investors. Currently, Scale AI is valued at nearly $14 billion, with Alexandr Wang holding about 14% of the shares.

Within five years, Alexandr Wang's company was valued at more than $7 billion, making him the world's youngest self-made billionaire. The Week.

Scale AI, Alexandr Wang’s company, doesn’t directly develop AI models like Meta or OpenAI. Instead, the company focuses on providing accurately labeled data to train AI systems. This is a crucial part of the growth of the artificial intelligence industry, as AI tools need large amounts of accurately labeled data to work effectively.

Scale AI employs more than 100,000 contract workers globally through subsidiaries such as Remotasks and Outlier AI to perform data labeling tasks. Alexandr Wang emphasizes that this workforce plays a crucial role in building powerful artificial intelligence systems. However, the company's large use of contract workers has led to controversy. Scale AI is facing a class-action lawsuit from employees who accuse the company of poor management, underpayment, and labor law violations.

Despite the criticism, Alexandr Wang remains a highly influential figure in the tech industry. He has used his talent and connections to maintain Scale AI’s position in the competitive market. Wang has not only focused on business in Silicon Valley but also built strong relationships in Washington. He regularly testifies in the US Congress, where he offers his views on geopolitical issues, especially the relationship between the US and China.

Though not as prominent as Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Alexandr Wang is an increasingly influential figure in the field of artificial intelligence. Scale AI’s presence in Washington not only helps change the way lawmakers view AI, but also highlights the important role that human labor plays in training AI systems.

Source: https://danviet.vn/tu-than-dong-toan-hoc-den-ty-phu-tu-than-20250119230230254.htm