Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang used to serve on Meta’s board. If true, this move would be an early harbinger of turmoil within the tech giant’s recently founded Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). This departure comes on the heels of Meta’s substantial investment of $14.3 billion in Scale AI in June, a partnership that many viewed as unconventional given Wang’s background. Wang, who did not have a demonstrated pedigree in AI research, was the logical choice to lead MSL. This audacious decision has led to huge speculation regarding the direction of Meta’s AI dreams.
Wang’s arrival at Meta in conjunction with several top executives from Scale AI was expected to bolster the company’s AI capabilities. With the recent changes, there has been much speculation over how effective this show of collaboration will be. Ruben Mayer’s unexpected departure further complicates things. In fact, he vacated his position as Scale AI’s Senior Vice President of GenAI Product and Operations only two months after joining Meta. After Mayer’s remarkably successful five year run at Scale AI, Wang lured him to Meta to play an integral part in running MSL.
Meta’s challenges extend beyond personnel changes. After the launch of Llama 4 in April, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly expressed frustration with the company’s AI team, indicating deeper issues within the organization. Rivals such as Mercor and Surge are growing like wildfire with the attractive high-paid talent focused business model. This unprecedented growth in revenue has led to increasing criticisms on Scale AI’s secret sauce.
The partnership did help improve Meta’s image in the AI field. Recently, Scale AI has made serious waves by winning a $99 million contract with the U.S. Army. This win is a testament to their years of specialized know-how in research & development service offerings. While some of Scale AI’s executives are moving over to Meta, they are not joining the core MSL team. This opens a Pandora’s box of their roles and effectiveness in the new paradigm.
As new competitors such as Mercor and Surge emerge on the scene, the future of Scale AI’s decision-making has never been more critical. Scale AI’s Outlier platform seeks to bring in the subject matter experts. The impact of these strategies is questionable thanks to changes in the governance structure.
Wang’s departure from Meta could signal a broader trend of instability within the company’s AI initiatives. Its huge ambitions, combined with its failure to build a robust background in AI research among its leaders, have led to skepticism from industry observers. This sentiment is echoed by Rishabh Agarwal, who noted, “In a world that’s changing so fast, the biggest risk you can take is not taking any risk.”
We caution that Meta has major internal challenges ahead of it. What future awaits MSL and will it be able to maintain its competitiveness amid such rapid AI evolution is anybody’s guess. To retain its talent, the company needs to change its leadership and strategy. At the same time, it has to push the envelope of innovation in a very difficult market.