Meta's $15B AI power grab - Rundown AI
Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Meta just inked a nearly $15B deal to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI — bringing on 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its AI reboot after the underwhelming Llama 4 launch. As OpenAI and Google pull ahead, Meta’s bold move raises the stakes — but could this power play turn Scale from a trusted industry supplier into just another Meta satellite?
Meta’s $15B power move to poach Scale’s CEO
Meta just finalized a deal reportedly worth $14.3B for a 49% stake in San Francisco-based Scale AI — bringing on its 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang to lead Meta’s AI overhaul.
The details: While the official number behind the deal remains unclear, Scale notes that Meta has made “a significant” investment, valuing the company at $29B. Used by Meta’s major AI rivals, Scale AI specializes in providing the human labor and tech required to label data — a critical step in training AI models. Scale’s 28-year-old founder and CEO will join Meta to lead its new “superintelligence” research initiative, bringing along some Scale staff. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has hand-picked some 50 researchers for the lab, offering huge salary packages to draw in top talent from OpenAI and Google.
Why it matters: Meta’s underwhelming Llama 4 launch has spurred this aggressive talent acquisition and major investment to reboot its AI strategy. The deal looks to boost Meta’s capabilities but sparks questions about Scale’s future and whether other AI giants will keep partnering with a company so closely tied to Meta.
The Rundown: Lab-grown salmon gets FDA nod
A lab-grown salmon from food tech startup Wildtype has become the first cell-cultivated seafood to receive FDA approval for public consumption, with the cultivated salmon now available to order from a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
The details: The cultivated salmon is now available at Portland’s Kann restaurant, with plans to expand to four more restaurants over the next four months. Wildtype harvests living cells from Pacific coho salmon and grows them in bioreactors under controlled conditions that mimic a wild fish’s environment. After four to six weeks of processing, the final product is a sushi-grade “saku” block, a premium cut typically used for raw sushi and sashimi. Wildtype’s salmon is free from mercury, antibiotics, parasites, and microplastics, while still loaded with healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Why it matters: Wildtype’s closed production system reduces pressure on fish farms, mitigates overfishing, and eliminates bycatch and animal cruelty. The company’s pilot facility in San Francisco can produce up to 50K pounds of seafood annually, with plans to scale further.
The Rundown: Archer nabs $850M after Trump’s executive order
Archer Aviation, the electric air taxi innovator, just landed an $850M funding windfall — fueled by a trio of executive orders from President Trump aimed at propelling the U.S. to the forefront of next-gen aviation.
The details: Trump’s executive orders target the removal of regulatory barriers for electric air taxis, urban drone operations, and supersonic commercial aircraft. Trump is also establishing a pilot program to accelerate the adoption of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) tech used by Joby and Archer. Archer, now flush with nearly $2B, is set to be the official air taxi provider for the 2028 LA Olympics. The company has also inked a partnership with United Airlines to build a New York City air taxi network.
Why it matters: The FAA is now tasked to repeal a 1973 ban on supersonic overland flights, opening up new opportunities for flying cars, supersonic jets, and advanced drones in the U.S. For its part, rival Joby’s stock soared 10% as the news hit, with Archer’s rising 8%.
The Rundown: Snap to launch lightweight AR glasses next year
Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is making a bold play to leapfrog Big Tech rivals by launching its next-gen augmented reality smart glasses, called “Specs,” ahead of Meta, Google, and Apple’s competing offerings.
The details: CEO Evan Spiegel announced this week that Snap’s Specs are set for a 2026 consumer release with a sleek design packed with AI and AR features. The glasses will run Snap’s proprietary Snap OS and feature deep integrations with AI models from both OpenAI and Google. Snap’s library of over 4M AR Lenses will be fully compatible, allowing users to access 3D effects, games, and utilities directly through their eyewear. With a decade of AR development and more than $3B invested, Snap is betting that Specs can finally deliver on the promise of mainstream AR glasses.
Why it matters: Snap’s Specs aim to beat Meta’s Orion and Google’s AI glasses to launch. If Snap delivers, these lightweight AR smart glasses — with built-in AI assistance and millions of AR Lenses — could push everyday computing beyond the smartphone and into a new era of always-on, wearable tech.
