Artificial Intelligence: Meta Injects $15 Billion To Catch Up

Meta is spending 15 billion to recruit AI brains. But is the intelligence war really intercontinental or is it mainly playing out in the hallways of Silicon Valley? Between Microsoft and OpenAI, Amazon and Anthropic, Meta is trying to stay in the race. What if algorithmic power became the new measure of economic influence? The market already thinks so.

Meta Bets on Scale AI to Maintain Control of Sensitive Data

Meta, which does not want bitcoin in its treasury, has spent nearly 14.8 billion dollars to acquire 49% of Scale AI, a gem founded by Alexandr Wang, now 28 years old. The goal? To access the strategic supply chain of data labeling, a discreet but fundamental pillar of any training in Artificial Intelligence. This major operation is part of a strategy to reconquer the summit.

Zuckerberg personally supervised the integration of Wang into a new lab dedicated to “superintelligence”. According to Bloomberg, this unit already has about fifty handpicked profiles, recruited from the best AGI teams. The ambition is clear: to outperform GPT-4.

Llama 4, recently launched, did not create the expected shock. And the Behemoth project is falling behind. Meta, which had bet on open source to attract developers, is returning to a closed, more secretive, more locked-down model. The signal sent? The data battle is now an algorithmic state affair.

The AI War Is Also Local: Valley Versus Valley

Long seen as a duel between continents, the AI war now shows internal fragmentation. Silicon Valley is splitting: Meta, OpenAI, xAI, Google DeepMind compete for talent, GPUs, and even office space. It is no longer just about optimizing a model, but about knowing who can do it on a large scale, with the best brains.

Moreover, some Meta engineers are already courted by OpenAI, sometimes with nine-figure bonuses. Meanwhile, newcomers like Elon Musk’s xAI are making great strides. While some dream of open and ethical AGI, others build teams in the shadows, with billions.

In this context, Alexandr Wang becomes a strategic joker. The man behind Scale holds a unique ability to orchestrate AI industrialization. His role goes beyond tech: it is a generational bet on new digital leadership.

Towards Hyperconcentration of Power in AI: When Intelligence Becomes Rent

Meta’s move raises questions. Is it about catching up or locking access to Artificial Intelligence? By injecting 15 billion into an external structure, Meta is not just seeking innovation but also exclusive control of critical data. Indeed, whoever controls data controls AI.

The risk is twofold: technical monopoly, but also cultural dependence. This dynamic does not escape regulators. Several observers already anticipate antitrust investigations, both in the United States and Europe. The digital history seems to repeat itself: concentration, acceleration, domination.

Some impactful figures:

• 14.8 billion dollars: cost of Meta’s partial acquisition of Scale AI;
• 49%: equity stake in the AI gem;
• 9 figures: potential bonuses paid to recruit the best AGI experts;
• 50 profiles: estimated size of the “Superintelligence” team led by Wang;
• 28 years old: age of the man now at the heart of Meta’s AI strategy.

This is the biggest bet Meta has ever made in AI, this real revolution, it is said. The phrase is heavy with meaning. A wager, a race, a technological casino where the rules remain blurry and the chips are data.

Facing competitors like OpenAI, Zuckerberg knows he must go fast, strong, and far. The next battlefield? Social networks themselves. OpenAI, leveraging its AI prowess, is already working on a revolutionary social network, designed to circumvent X and Meta. AI is reshaping not only technology but the very foundations of human interaction.