Scale AI Cuts 12 Red Team Contractors After $14B Meta Investment

Scale AI, a data-labeling startup that received a $14 billion investment from Meta Platforms Inc. in 2025, has recently cut a dozen contractors from its Red Team, which specializes in testing AI models for vulnerabilities and potential harms. These layoffs followed earlier reductions in July, when Scale cut 14% of its full-time staff and about 500 contractors, citing market shifts and overhiring. Former workers and reports suggest that the Meta partnership has led to internal disruptions, a slowdown in Red Team projects, and a shift in priorities away from AI model safety efforts. While Scale AI claims the cuts were performance-related and involve a small fraction of the Red Team, insiders describe the layoffs as part of broader tensions and a decline in specialized work for the team. The restructuring and reported cultural clashes have caused high-profile departures and led Meta to increasingly rely on competitors for AI training services. Despite these challenges, Scale AI maintains it remains committed to investing in red teaming services for leading AI companies.