Under the leadership of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms is making its most significant external investment in years committing nearly $14.8 billion to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI, a top-tier startup specializing in data labeling and machine learning. The move marks Meta’s largest external commitment since its WhatsApp acquisition in 2014.
Meta’s AI initiatives have encountered significant headwinds recently:
- Delays in the introduction of the expected ‘Behemoth’ flagship model have coincided with the inconsistent distribution of the Llama 4 language model.
- Public criticism and departures, including AI research head Joelle Pineau, prompted by a desire to align AI research more closely with product imperatives.
Through this investment, Zuckerberg is launching a new “superintelligence” or AGI team, internally referred to as the “Fantastic 50”a 50‑person elite unit personally overseen by Zuckerberg.
- Meta’s $14.8 billion investment will be structured through non‑voting shares, granting it significant involvement without triggering immediate antitrust oversight.
- As part of the agreement, Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang will join Meta to lead the AGI team, bringing several colleagues to the new lab.
- This structure not only brings AI talent but also ensures Meta retains access to Scale AI’s existing contracts with Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, and government projects.
Meta is joining others in the AI-driven billion-dollar club:
- Amazon: ~$8 billion into Anthropic
- Google: ~$3 billion into Anthropic
- Microsoft: ~$13 billion into OpenAI
Scale AI, valued at approximately $25 billion, is projected to see revenue near $2 billion in 2025, with diversified contracts spanning defense and global government sectors.
- The non-voting structure appears intentionally designed to bypass intensified U.S. antitrust scrutiny, which has previously challenged Meta’s Instagram and WhatsApp deals.
- Internally, Meta reshuffled its AI division creating separate research and product groups under new leadership to reinvigorate innovation .
Meta’s nearly $15 billion investment marks a bold strategic shift toward the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI). By partnering with Scale AI and integrating its leadership within Mind, Meta aims to narrow the gap with established AI powerhouses like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft.
With significant resources, talent, and a powerful new lab, Meta is betting that this high-stake gambit will transform it from AI laggard to leader but regulatory, developmental, and competitive hurdles remain formidable.
