Scale AI names Francis deSouza as new chief executive
Scale AI announced that former Google Cloud chief operating officer Francis deSouza will become its chief executive officer on August 10, succeeding interim CEO Jason Droege. DeSouza brings more than 30 years of enterprise‑technology experience, having previously led Illumina as president and CEO, where revenue grew to over $4.5 billion and the firm expanded into more than 150 countries. He also held senior roles at Symantec and founded two companies later acquired by Microsoft and Symantec.
Scale AI, founded by Alexandr Wang, supplies data that fuels frontier AI models and builds AI applications for businesses, governments and the U.S. military. Recent enterprise customers include BP and the Mayo Clinic, and the company is expanding work with U.S. and international governments. Wang departed in 2025 to become Meta’s chief AI officer, after Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI.
Entities: Alexandr Wang · Francis deSouza · Illumina · Jason Droege · Scale AI
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Scale AI provides data that powers frontier AI models and develops AI applications for businesses and governments. (Company description)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Francis deSouza previously served as chief operating officer and president of security products at Google Cloud. (Company bio)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Before Google Cloud, deSouza was president and CEO of Illumina. (Company bio)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Scale AI appointed Francis deSouza as CEO, effective August 10. (Scale AI press release)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Under deSouza, Illumina's revenue grew to more than $4.5 billion and expanded into over 150 countries. (Company bio)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Founder Alexandr Wang left Scale AI in 2025 to become Meta’s chief AI officer, after Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI. (Axios commentary)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Scale AI recently added BP and the Mayo Clinic as enterprise customers and expanded work with the U.S. military and international governments. (Company update)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Scale AI was founded by Alexandr Wang. (Company background)