Alexandr Wang is an American entrepreneur and technology executive who rose to prominence as a central figure in the artificial intelligence industry. Born in January 1997 in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Wang grew up in a scientific environment as the son of parents who worked as physicists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This background in a hub of scientific research and development, combined with his early exposure to complex problem-solving, played a formative role in his intellectual development. From a young age, Wang demonstrated a prodigious aptitude for mathematics and computer programming, participating in national-level competitions such as the Math Olympiad Program and the United States Computing Olympiad (USACO) during his teenage years. Wang’s career trajectory in technology began while he was still a student. After graduating from Los Alamos High School, he briefly enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study mathematics and computer science. However, driven by an interest in machine learning and a desire to address the practical bottlenecks facing AI development, he dropped out of MIT after his first year to join the Y Combinator startup accelerator. Before and during this period, he gained practical engineering experience working at companies such as Addepar and Quora, as well as holding a stint as an algorithm developer at the high-frequency trading firm Hudson River Trading. In 2016, at the age of 19, Wang co-founded Scale AI alongside Lucy Guo. The company was established to address a critical challenge in the machine learning ecosystem: the lack of high-quality, structured, and labeled data necessary to train advanced AI models. Scale AI developed a platform that combined machine learning with human-in-the-loop services to provide data labeling and model evaluation, effectively becoming a crucial infrastructure provider for companies ranging from autonomous vehicle developers to major technology firms. Under Wang’s leadership as CEO, Scale AI achieved rapid growth, reaching unicorn status in 2019 and eventually securing major contracts with organizations, including the United States Armed Forces, to assist in defense intelligence and the evaluation of large language models. Wang’s leadership at Scale AI brought him significant acclaim, and in 2021, he was widely cited as one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires. His net worth fluctuated with the company’s valuation, which continued to rise as AI became the dominant focus of the global technology sector. In June 2025, Wang stepped down from his position as CEO of Scale AI following a transaction in which Meta Platforms acquired a 49% stake in the company. Following this transition, Wang joined Meta as its Chief AI Officer, taking a leadership role in the company’s Superintelligence Labs. Throughout his career, Wang has received recognition for his influence on the AI industry, including appearances on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the Time100 Next list. His work is noted for identifying the necessity of data quality in the development of robust AI systems, a perspective that has helped shape the operational strategies of some of the world's largest corporations. Beyond his business contributions, he has been a vocal advocate for the importance of rigorous evaluation and safety in artificial intelligence, often engaging with government officials and industry leaders to discuss the responsible advancement of the field.