Alexandr Wang will take the reins of Meta's "superintelligence" efforts, a key area in the current battle around advanced artificial intelligence. "We will strengthen our collaboration on data production for AI models, and Alexandr Wang will join Meta to lead our work in superintelligence," Meta said in a statement without mentioning financial details.

According to sources close to the matter, Wang's arrival was the main driver behind this massive investment. The founder of Scale, who does not come from academia but has built a successful AI company, is seen by Mark Zuckerberg as someone with a profile similar to that of Sam Altman (OpenAI), a visionary and pragmatic leader, rather than a researcher.

Born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Chinese physicist parents, Wang left MIT to co-found Scale in 2016. He quickly established himself as one of Silicon Valley's most promising entrepreneurs, raising funds from the biggest names in venture capital and becoming a billionaire before the age of 30. He has forged close ties with leading figures in the industry, including Sam Altman, and with institutions in Washington, even testifying before the US Congress.

A strategic move for Meta

Wang's arrival comes at a time when Meta is struggling to maintain its position in the race for generative AI. The group has seen several talented employees leave and has postponed the launch of open source models intended to rival those of Google (Alphabet), OpenAI, and DeepSeek.

Meta hopes that more operational leadership, embodied by Wang, will give new impetus to its ambitions. Contrary to usual practice, Meta does not plan to have a seat on Scale's board of directors, and Wang will remain a member of his company's board. He will be joined at Meta by a few of Scale's 1,500 employees. Jason Droege, current chief strategy officer, will serve as interim head of Scale.

Founded in 2016, Scale AI specializes in providing massively annotated data, which is essential for training AI models. It relies in particular on its Remotasks and Outlier platforms, which mobilize thousands of freelancers around the world.

Possible consequences for Scale and its customers

Although the deal is a financial success for long-standing investors such as Accel and Index Ventures, who will be able to sell up to half of their shares, it could weaken Scale's commercial relationships. Some of the company's AI laboratory clients could turn away from its services for fear that Meta will have access, even indirectly, to sensitive information about their data needs or strategies.

Meta, currently facing antitrust lawsuits from the FTC over its past acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, has not specified whether this transaction will be subject to regulatory review. However, by structuring the deal without a formal takeover, the group appears to be seeking to avoid excessive legal scrutiny.

This move further intensifies competition in the field of artificial intelligence, where Meta, which has been struggling in recent months, is seeking to regain the initiative through both industrial and human resources.