Meta has acquired nearly half of Scale AI for a staggering $15 billion. The deal is valued close to $30 billion, doubling Scale AI’s last valuation from a year ago.
In theory, Mark Zuckerberg wants to secure Scale AI’s data services. However, experts believe this acquisition is an “acqui-hire,” where Meta is paying top dollar to hire CEO Alexandr Wang and his team.
Wang, 28, is the CEO of Scale AI, which works with major AI players like Meta and OpenAI. The deal allows Meta to deepen its collaboration with Scale AI on data for AI models.
The acquisition price values Wang at nearly $300 million, considering he’s not a well-known AI scientist but rather a business-savvy individual with technical expertise. Some question whether the investment will yield significant results, as Wang’s strengths lie in promoting the company rather than managing staff or advancing AI research.
Meta has been criticized for buying talent who eventually leave after being lavished with attention and huge paydays. The founders of Instagram and WhatsApp have departed Meta after Zuckerberg made massive investments. However, supporters argue that Meta can afford to spend billions on acquisitions if it believes in the future of AI and wants to secure top talent like Wang.
This deal marks a significant shift towards acquiring high-profile talent in the AI space, where prices have skyrocketed in recent years.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-scale-ai-15-billion-alexandr-wang-acquihire-ai-2025-6