Scale co-founder and CEO Alexandr Wang will lead Meta’s new superintelligence unit.

Meta is making a $14.3 billion investment in artificial intelligence company Scale and recruiting its CEO Alexandr Wang to join a team developing “superintelligence” at the tech giant.

A handful of venture capital firms are set to see huge returns from their early bets on Scale AI, following Meta Platforms Inc.’s $14.3 billion mega investment in the artificial intelligence startup.

Meta’s deal to sort-of but not really acquire AI startup Scale, giving it 49% ownership, is certainly unusual.

Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to fuel a new superintelligence lab—gaining infrastructure and leadership, but raising doubts about Scale’s future.

Alexandr Wang dropped out of MIT to co-found Scale and was quickly lauded as one of Silicon Valley's most promising entrepreneurs, raising funding from blue-chip venture capital firms and achieving billionaire status in his 20s.

Meta’s massive investment in Scale AI may be giving some of the startup’s biggest customers pause. Reuters reports that Google had planned to pay Scale AI $200 million this year but is now planning to cut ties with the startup and is having conversations with its competitors.