Tech giant Meta is teaming up with artificial intelligence companies that work closely with the Pentagon to fuel its own AI ambitions.
Facebook’s parent company is forming partnerships with Anduril and Scale AI, and poaching Scale’s founder Alexandr Wang to work on Meta’s AI agenda.
Anduril is an autonomous drone maker, and Scale AI worked closely with the Department of Defense last year to test AI models for military uses.
Scale’s partnership with Meta unveiled Thursday includes new funding for Scale that values the company at more than $29 billion and brings Mr. Wang inside Meta’s AI labs, according to an announcement from Scale AI.
In a letter to Scale’s workforce, which he called Scaliens, Mr. Wang said he and a few others were moving to Meta while he would remain on Scale’s board.
Mr. Wang is reportedly set to work on Meta’s efforts toward reaching superintelligence, or theoretical AI systems performing far beyond humans’ capabilities.
“When this opportunity first presented itself, my immediate reaction was uncertainty,” Mr. Wang wrote. “The idea of not being a Scalien was, frankly, unimaginable. But as I spent time truly considering it, I realized this was a deeply unique moment, not just for me, but for Scale as well.”
Mr. Wang’s hesitation is understandable. His net worth is $3.6 billion, according to Forbes, and he is not yet 30 years old, while Meta has a history of tossing aside a young founder who makes major achievements in the tech sector.
Palmer Luckey founded Anduril after Facebook ousted him in 2016.
In his early 20s, Mr. Luckey created virtual reality company Oculus and sold it to Meta, then Facebook, for more than $2 billion. Mr. Luckey has said his political alignment with President Trump’s first bid for the White House prompted internal pushback and led to his eventual exit from the company.
Mr. Luckey then built major autonomy and defense tech company Anduril, which works closely with the U.S. military.
Anduril said in May it was partnering with Meta on creating new extended reality products for American warfighters.
“I am glad to be working with Meta once again,” Mr. Luckey said in a statement on May 29. “Of all the areas where dual-use technology can make a difference for America, this is the one I am most excited about. My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that.”
Mr. Luckey and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg patched things up, and Mr. Zuckerberg said in May he was proud to be partnering with Anduril to work on technology for the American military.
