Meta held failed acquisition talks with Perplexity AI before investing in Scale AI

Meta Platforms reportedly held private talks with AI startup Perplexity AI about a possible takeover before moving ahead with its $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI.

People familiar with the matter told CNBC, those discussions ended without a deal, and Perplexity chose not to pursue the offer.

The negotiations did not reach financial terms, and both companies declined to comment. Perplexity, valued at about $14 billion in its latest funding round, closed that financing shortly before Meta began exploring an acquisition.

This outreach fits into CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s wider push to ramp up the company’s AI work.

Frustrated by rivals like OpenAI and Google parent Alphabet, he has been aggressively seeking to bring top AI talent and technology into the company. In recent months, Meta has tried to outbid competitors for leading researchers and founders, viewing outside deals and hires as a way to catch up in the fast-moving field.

As part of its broader AI strategy, the social media giant agreed to take a 49% stake in Scale AI in exchange for its multibillion-dollar investment. Although the company will hold no voting rights, Scale’s founder, Alexandr Wang, and a small group of his colleagueswill join Meta to work directly on AI projects.

Earlier this year, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram also pursued Safe Superintelligence, a research firm that raised funds valuing it at $32 billion in April. Under the deal, Daniel Gross, Safe’s chief executive, and Nat Friedman, former head of GitHub, would come aboard Meta’s new “superintelligence” division led by Wang. Gross and Friedman jointly run a venture firm called NFDG; Meta will secure a stake in that venture as part of the arrangement.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed Zuckerberg’s hiring tactics on a recent episode of the “Uncapped” podcast.

He said Zuckerberg’s company had offered some OpenAI staffers signing bonuses up to $100 million and even higher annual packages, but many had turned the offers down. “I’ve heard that Meta thinks of us as their biggest competitor,” Altman said. “Their current AI efforts have not worked as well as they have hoped and I respect being aggressive and continuing to try new things.”

Meta also tried to hire Perplexity CEO

According to Bloomberg, Meta also sought to recruit Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas for its superintelligence team. Those talks occurred before Meta finalized its deal with Scale AI.

Perplexity, founded in 2022, has quickly become known for using generative AI to change how people search the web. Its tool summarizes results, cites sources, and helps users refine queries for clearer answers. The company is now working on an AI-powered web browser to challenge services from Google and others.

Zuckerberg’s push has already drawn key figures to Meta. Alongside Wang, the company has hired leading researchers formerly at Google DeepMind and the startup Sesame AI. Yet not every approach has paid off. Some top experts have declined, including OpenAI staffers, despite the hefty proposals.

The company has also discussed providing computing infrastructure to Safe Superintelligence, offering use of its data centers for the lab’s work.

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