Meta just made a $14.3 billion bet on data-labeling company Scale AI, but its not a traditional takeover: Metas taking a 49% stake in the company and adding Scales co-founder Alexandr Wang to its team.The move signals Metas growing urgency to keep up in the AI race, even if its strategy for competing with heavyweights like OpenAI and Google is still a little confusing.Today, on A Technology NewsRooms Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff, and Anthony Ha break down the deal, dig up an interview from Kirstens archives featuring Wangs early predictions for AI, and ask whether Metas really buying a game-changer or just adding a well-connected dealmaker to its roster at a time when its own AI ambitions are falling further and further behind.Listen to the full episode to hear more highlights from the week, including:How Chimes IPO priced above expectations at $27 per share and jumped in early trading, and Anthonys not-so-hot takes on what this signals for the tech IPO marketWhy Y Combinators Demo Day was packed with agentic AI startups building autonomous software, and how a recent chat with Fiverrs CEO sheds light on AI-driven task automation in the gig economyHow Jony Ives LoveFrom spent 18 months quietly collaborating with Rivian on their first electric bike, a spinout product confirmed to have a bike-like form factorEquity will be back next week, so stay tuned!Equity is A Technology NewsRooms flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.
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