Meta just opened up an opportunity for number two in this space to grow even if it's only to hedge against Meta.
Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
31–40 of 507 posts
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#32From my perspective, Meta is doing pretty reasonable with their AI compared to eg Apple. What is their end goal with AI? I understand Google, Anthropic and OpenAI try to cater to a certain audience with their AI products. I understand the way Apple wants (but is failing) to integrate AI into their products. What’s Meta’s strategy here? What’s their vision?
Robotics and world-interaction, if LeCunn is to be taken as the primary proselyter.
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Would buying 49% prevent any government investigations into the deal?
Yeah 50% may have triggered antitrust
It does seem likely that the deal was at least partially structured to avoid antitrust scrutiny but my impression is that under the DMA/DSA (I can never keep track of which is which) in Europe Meta is technically a gatekeeper and has different obligations so I'll be curious to see what happens there
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#34Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#35Largest acquihire ever, beating out oculus/carmack, also done by Zuck. Meta is not afraid to build when competing, so I propose this is interesting.
I agree. Slightly amused at the running from one side of the boat to the other. So we're done with the Metaverse now?
(Or maybe the metaverse needs AI bots running around … perhaps scalping tickets or something. In fact I get it though — they're looking for the Next Big Thing — as all big companies are. I even think they're on to it this time. The whole metaverse thing was just so obviously misguided, misspent capital.)
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#36Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#37From my perspective, Meta is doing pretty reasonable with their AI compared to eg Apple. What is their end goal with AI? I understand Google, Anthropic and OpenAI try to cater to a certain audience with their AI products. I understand the way Apple wants (but is failing) to integrate AI into their products. What’s Meta’s strategy here? What’s their vision?
Robotics and world-interaction, if LeCunn is to be taken as the primary proselyter.
When a company reaches a certain size they basically become a bank. Meta owns a bunch of social media properties and the long term prognosis for that industry is not great. It would make sense to get into other areas if they can do it.
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Strikes me more as an attempt to maintain plausible deniability if/when the FTC comes knocking
The FTC will do nothing. Not under Trump.
Perhaps, but it's worth hedging against a potential Trump-Zuck fallout. Also, the statute of limitations for commencing an antitrust investigation is 4 years (15 U.S.C. § 15b).
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#39Matt Levine suggested that this was an aquihire. And the weird setup where they only buy non voting shares is to not trigger any regulatory review
Re: Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI to kick-start superintelligence lab
#40This is a weird deal? Meta buys a non-controlling stake and says no customers will be affected but the CEO and others are leaving Scale for Meta. Meta also says they won’t have access to competitor data but at 49% ownership they get major investor rights? Sounds like an acqui-kill to me?
Of all the tech companies, Meta is the most ruthless and shameless. You'd have to be a total fool to trust Zuck, especially Zuck who put billions into AR for not much return and now billions into AI to create lackluster lagging models.
I'd trust Zuck if I had a signed, airtight agreement for a large amount of money he paid into an escrow account for something I owned or was transferring ownership.
He's very close to peak homo economicus. (EDIT: this next point is wrong, the oral history I heard referred to Winklevoss pops, not Zuckerberg, and I misremembered) Which makes sense, given his father is deep in actuarial services.