ScaleAI interim CEO says we are not shutting down following Meta deal; adds: This deal rewards many of the people who ...

Meta

recently made an investment of $14.4 billion in ScaleAI — an AI data labelling firm. Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in

Scale

AI, previously valued at $14 billion, includes the transition of Scale’s CEO,

Alexandr Wang

, to Meta, where he will lead efforts to develop “superintelligence.” This has intensified worries among Scale’s clients, particularly generative AI companies, that their sensitive research priorities and technical blueprints could be accessed by Meta through Scale’s data-labeling operations. Now,

Scale AI

's interim CEO,

Jason Droege

has posted a message assuring its employees, customers and investors that the company is ‘not shutting down’. Dorge published a letter on the company’s blog addressing the recent speculation and concerns. Dorge said, “Unlike some other recent tech deals you might have heard about in the AI space, this is not a pivot or a winding down." He also stressed that Scale AI remains an "unequivocally, independent company."The recent ScaleAI deal gave Meta 49% non-voting stake in the company. This latest investment raised questions and concerns among competitors. Reports also suggested that Scale AI's major clients, including OpenAI and Google are also re-assessing their partnerships due to concerns about potential conflicts of interest with Meta.

Read ScaleAI interim CEO Jason Droege’s complete post here

Thank you for being such an important part of Scale.

It is an honor to step into the role of interim CEO at Scale during such a pivotal moment for our company and the broader AI landscape. I can’t thank Alex enough for what he built and I’m honored that he and the Board have chosen me to shepherd it into the future. I’m incredibly energized by the conversations I've had this week, and I want to take this opportunity to share my vision and correct some misunderstandings.

Scale has always been at the forefront of innovation, and as we embark on the next stage of Scale we're not just continuing that legacy – we're accelerating it.

The Meta Deal

Let's first talk about the news of the past week. I know there's been a lot of news reporting, but some of it has been incorrect or misunderstood. Unlike some other recent tech deals you might have heard about in the AI space, this is not a pivot or a winding down. Scale remains, unequivocally, an independent company.

This deal rewards many of the people who helped build Scale into what it is today, but more importantly to me, it's also a validation of the course we're on. Scale remains a well-resourced company, with multiple promising lines of business and a seasoned leadership team to help them grow. I've been pleasantly surprised by the inbound interest from technical and non-technical people in joining our team, and I hope to announce additional leaders soon.

And let me make one point absolutely clear: nothing has changed about our

commitment to protecting customer data. Security, privacy, and customer trust have always been core to our business, and we will continue to ensure the right protections are in place to help safeguard all of our work with customers.

Building an Agentic Future

To our customers: we’re not slowing down. Our focus on data and applications remains unwavering, and we are building products in service of an agentic future. One where AI is aligned with human values, and it is used to improve our lives, our governments, and the services we use every day.

Data: Our Enduring Foundation

Data is the foundation of our business today, and it will remain a critical component of our success going forward. We remain one of the only providers capable of serving customers at volume, a testament to our robust infrastructure and expertise.

The need for high-quality data for AI models remains significant, and with the largest network of experts training AI, we are set up well to help model builders keep pushing the frontier of what’s possible.

We will also continue to be model-agnostic. When everyone in the industry learns and improves, the world improves. Our research teams will continue to publish cutting-edge research and develop unbiased leaderboards that highlight the strengths and weaknesses of every model.

Of course what fueled our growth in the past, won’t be enough to fuel our growth in the future. That’s why we are continuing to evolve and expand.

We are a diversified business. We are more than just data labeling. But I get it – labels stick.

Applications: The Limitless Horizon

Over the past several years, long before this deal, we were already building out our applications business units. These units span across governments and enterprises, and are focused on building AI applications for our customers that protect Americans, personalize education, improve healthcare, speed up drug discovery, and make customer service better.

We already work with numerous global businesses, the U.S. Government, and governments abroad, but we are going to double down on building applications because that is where we see the future, and that is where we can best service an ever-growing roster of customers.

And as we move towards an agentic future, where AI is embedded in almost everything we do, Scale will continue to be the company that ensures AI retains a human touch. Internally, we often talk about the need to strengthen human sovereignty – the concept that humans must retain control over AI and that AI stays aligned with our values. As a company built around the human aspect of AI, that call to action will remain central to Scale.

I'm incredibly optimistic about our future. We have an exceptional team, a clear vision, and the resources to achieve truly remarkable things. In the coming months, we’ll be sharing some exciting announcements that will further illustrate how we are better positioned for success than ever before.

Thank you for your continued dedication and belief in Scale.

Sincerely,

Jason Droege, Interim CEO, Scale