Meta said on June 12 that it would invest in Scale but did not disclose details. According to Bloomberg , the investment is worth $14.3 billion, raising the startup's valuation to more than $29 billion.
As part of the deal, co-founder and CEO Alexandr Wang will take on a new role in Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) development team. Wang will join the “superintelligence” division, which focuses on building human-like AI (AGI).
Sources revealed that Meta holds 49% of Scale AI shares.
In a statement the same day, Wang said the investment was a recognition of the startup’s achievements and emphasized the importance of AI. “AI is one of the most revolutionary technologies of our time, with limitless possibilities and profound impacts on how people, businesses and governments succeed,” he said.
Wang will be replaced on an interim basis at Scale AI by Chief Strategy Officer Jason Droege. The startup will continue to operate independently, providing AI solutions and protecting customer data.
AI is a top priority for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this year. Facebook’s parent company has spent tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure and hiring related to the technology. But he has been disappointed with the company’s progress on its latest major language model, Llama 4.
In the months since Llama 4’s launch, Zuckerberg has been taking a more hands-on approach. According to Bloomberg , he personally recruited top AI experts and scientists to form a new “superintelligence” team. He even rearranged the desks in his office so they could sit closer together. The New York Times reported that Meta offered big salaries to recruit talent from Google and Seasame AI.
With the Scale deal, Zuckerberg—who rarely invests in startups—seems to be playing the Amazon, Microsoft, and Google card, each of which has signed a deal with a prominent AI startup and hired its best people.
Unlike other startups, Scale AI doesn’t focus on large language models. Founded in 2016, Scale AI provides data services to help companies like Meta and OpenAI train and improve their AI systems. The startup also builds AI applications for businesses and governments.
Wang, 28, is considered a genius diplomat with relationships with lawmakers. Scale AI brought in $870 million in 2024 and is expected to reach $2 billion this year.
Shweta Khajuria, an analyst at Wolfe Research, said the deal showed that Meta was not interested in being left behind. “A major investment like this underscores not only the importance of Meta but also its need,” she said. She also noted that it was a sign that Meta was “not confident in its ability to stay ahead.”
(According to Bloomberg)
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/zuckerberg-bo-gan-15-ty-usd-chi-de-co-duoc-nhan-tai-9x-nay-2411092.html
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