COMPANIES · AI INFRA SOFTWARE

Scale AI

Scale AI is a data-labeling and AI training-data company whose human-annotation and data-generation services have been used by AI labs to prepare data for training and evaluating models.

EnablerAI infra software
What it does

Scale AI is a data-labeling and AI training-data company whose human-annotation and data-generation services have been used by AI labs to prepare data for training and evaluating models.

Why it matters

Meta invested about $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI in June 2025 and hired its CEO to help lead Meta's superintelligence AI effort, an unusual structure that also led some competing AI labs to scale back their use of Scale AI's services.

How it makes money

Scale AI makes money by charging AI companies for data-labeling, human-feedback (RLHF) and data-generation services used to train and evaluate AI models.

Geography

United States (San Francisco, California)

AI stack position

AI infrastructure software. The tools developers use to build, train, deploy and manage AI systems: the software layer that sits between raw computing power and a finished AI product.

Same-layer peers

Same-layer peers share an editorial stack classification; that alone does not establish direct competition.

Connections (3)

Every connection below is tied to a readable source, date, classification and statement of its limits. A company source establishes what that company stated; it does not necessarily provide independent confirmation.

Dated or announced (3)

OpenAI was a data-labeling customer of, now discontinuing Scale AI
Buys fromDated / announced
OpenAI was a paying customer of Scale AI's data-labeling services and began winding down its contracts with Scale AI within days of Meta's June 2025 investment in Scale AI, though OpenAI stated it had already been reducing reliance on Scale AI beforehand.

Source: 2025-06-18 · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Secondary reporting of an on-record executive statement · Discontinuing as of June 2025, per reporting that includes OpenAI's own characterization of its reduced reliance

Limits: Does not establish original contract value, start date of the OpenAI-Scale AI relationship, or the exact date data-labeling work fully ended.

OpenAI is winding down its work with Scale AI, whose founder is joining Meta ↗
Google (Alphabet subsidiary) was a data-labeling customer of, reportedly cutting ties Scale AI
Buys fromDated / announced
Google reportedly planned to pay Scale AI about $200 million in 2025 for data-labeling services and was reported to be cutting ties with Scale AI and talking to competitors after Meta's investment in Scale AI; Google declined to comment on the report.

Source: 2025-06-14 · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Secondary reporting (unconfirmed by primary parties) · Reported as ending around June 2025; not confirmed on the record by Google

Limits: Based on Reuters sourcing that Google declined to confirm; the $200 million figure is a reported planned spend, not a confirmed paid amount, and the relationship's start date is not established.

Google reportedly plans to cut ties with Scale AI ↗
Meta Platforms invested in for 49% stake Scale AI
Invested inDated / announced
Meta invested about $14.3 billion for a reported 49% non-voting stake in Scale AI, confirmed by both companies in June 2025, and Scale AI's CEO joined Meta to help lead its superintelligence AI effort.

Source: 2025-06-13 · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Secondary reporting of an on-record executive statement · Completed

Limits: Meta confirmed the investment and partnership publicly but did not itself disclose the exact dollar amount or stake percentage; those figures come from reporting citing sources familiar with the deal, and the investment does not establish that Meta controls Scale AI's operations.

Scale AI confirms 'significant' investment from Meta, says CEO Alexandr Wang is leaving ↗

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Inclusion in this database is not an endorsement of a company or its securities. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and none of it is individualized investment advice. See the disclosures. Data: AI Map v3.22, released .