Alexandr Wang is one of the most remarkable figures in today’s artificial intelligence landscape. As the co-founder and CEO of Scale AI, Wang has emerged as a key voice in AI innovation, defense technology, and global AI policy — all before reaching 30.
From a math-obsessed teenager in New Mexico to a multibillionaire tech entrepreneur, Wang’s story is as extraordinary as it is inspiring. Here’s everything you need to know about this AI trailblazer.
Table of Contents
Early Life and Education
Alexandr Wang was born in 1997 in Los Alamos, New Mexico, a town known for its national laboratory and scientific community. He is the son of Chinese immigrants who both worked as physicists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a background that deeply influenced his interest in math and science.
Wang quickly distinguished himself as a prodigy:
- Qualified for the Math Olympiad Program in 2013
- Selected for the U.S. Physics Team in 2014
- Finalist in the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) in 2012 and 2013
He attended Los Alamos High School before moving to Silicon Valley, where he began working as a software engineer at Addepar, a financial technology company. During his teenage years, he also worked at Quora as a programmer.
Wang later enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) but did not complete his degree. Instead, he pursued a brief stint at Hudson River Trading as an algorithm developer before deciding to drop out and build his own company.
The Rise of Scale AI
While studying mathematics and computer science at MIT, Wang began developing Ava, an iPhone app for booking medical appointments. As he weighed summer internship offers during his first year, a conversation with Eric Wu, CEO of Opendoor, convinced him to take a different path, pursuing entrepreneurship while still in school.
Wang decided to leave MIT and launch his startup. “I knew I would regret it if I never took the risk to be an entrepreneur at the perfect time,” he wrote in his blog.
In the summer of 2016, Wang entered Ava into a startup accelerator program run by the renowned venture firm Y Combinator, which was then headed by Sam Altman, now CEO of OpenAI. Shortly after, he and co-founder Lucy Guo expanded the concept into Scale AI, a startup focused on providing data labeling and model evaluation services for artificial intelligence development. The idea was simple but powerful: help organizations build better machine learning models by offering high-quality training data at scale. In 2017, Wang introduced Remotasks, a subsidiary that hired affordable overseas labor for data annotation work, while Guo helped grow the workforce by recruiting through Facebook groups.
Within a few months of launching, Scale secured Cruise and Tesla as early clients and began building out its contractor network.
In 2016, at just 19 years old, Alexandr Wang co-founded
Key Milestones:
- By 2021, Scale AI reached a valuation of $7.3 billion, with Wang holding a 15% stake—making him, at age 24, the youngest self-made billionaire in the world at the time.
- The company played a critical role in military and defense AI projects, securing U.S. Department of Defense contracts and working closely with the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office.
- Jeff Wilke, former Amazon executive, served as an advisor to the company.
Scale AI’s clients span from commercial tech firms to government entities, and it has become a central player in the conversation around AI safety, ethics, and deployment.
Strategic Roles and Policy Influence
Beyond his startup success, Wang has taken on broader leadership roles:
- Board Member at Expedia Group (appointed in 2023)
- Testified before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee in July 2023, addressing challenges in adopting AI within government systems
- In January 2025, he was one of several tech leaders invited to the second inauguration of President Donald Trump
- Authored a letter to President Trump titled “America Must Win the AI War”, advocating for stronger national AI leadership
- Spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2025, emphasizing the rising AI competition with China, especially around the platform DeepSeek
- In February 2025, he met with world leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to discuss global AI cooperation
Transition to Meta and Superintelligence
In June 2025, Wang made headlines again when Meta Platforms acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI. Following the acquisition:
- Wang transitioned to a new role within Meta, though he remains on Scale AI’s board.
- Meta committed a massive $14.3 billion investment into Scale AI.
- This partnership gave rise to Meta’s new “Superintelligence Lab”, tasked with overseeing the future of general-purpose AI development.
This move further solidifies Wang’s role at the intersection of big tech, global governance, and cutting-edge AI research.
Scale AI’s Meta Deal Sparks Industry Shakeup
OpenAI began distancing itself from Scale AI months before Meta’s $14,3 billion deal for a 49% stake, raising concerns over data privacy and competitive conflict. With Scale’s CEO Alexandr Wang joining Meta to lead its superintelligence lab, clients fear Meta could gain visibility into sensitive AI training data. Rivals like Turing and Mercor are already seeing client shifts, while insiders report internal confusion and concerns over Scale’s quality.
Meta’s move aligns with its broader AI ambitions, including defense contracts, and underscores the growing importance of human-led data work. While the deal benefits Wang and investors, it may destabilize Scale’s position in the AI ecosystem and reshape trust dynamics in the data-labeling market.
Recognition and Awards
Alexandr Wang has been recognized globally for his achievements:
- Forbes 30 Under 30 in Enterprise Technology (2018 and 2021)
- Named to Time 100 Next and Time 100 AI, which spotlight emerging global leaders shaping the future of their industries
These honors reflect not only his business acumen but his growing influence in the geopolitical and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence.
Vision and Philosophy
In 2024, Wang introduced a new hiring framework at Scale AI called MEI — Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence — as an alternative to the more widely discussed DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies. According to Wang, MEI prioritizes individual talent, skills, and work ethic.
This reflects his broader worldview: talent and execution should drive opportunity, especially in a field as impactful and fast-moving as AI.
Final Thoughts
Alexandr Wang is far more than just a tech founder—he is a visionary leader, policy influencer, and one of the youngest billionaires actively shaping the future of artificial intelligence. From building datasets to briefing world leaders, Wang’s impact reaches across industries and borders.
As AI becomes more integrated into society, Alexandr Wang is likely to remain a central figure in defining how the technology evolves, how it’s governed, and how it’s used—both for innovation and for national interest.
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