Selling shares · Scale AI

How to sell your Scale AI stock

Scale AI’s ownership changed dramatically in 2025 — Meta took about 49% and the founder left — but the company is still private, and so is your equity. Here’s what that actually means for a holder, and the tax.

Status Privately held · Reviewed November 2026

Scale AI is a private US AI-data company — still private as of November 2026, valued at about $29 billion in the 2025 Meta transaction. After Meta’s ~49% investment the founder departed and revenue guidance softened, but Scale AI continues independently. This guide is for the Scale AI holder.

Ownership change (2025). In June 2025 Meta took a roughly 49% stake in Scale AI for about $14.3 billion, and founder Alexandr Wang and several researchers moved to Meta. Scale AI is still an independent private company (Meta holds a large minority, not outright control), so your equity is still private equity — but weigh the changed ownership and outlook into any decision. (Reported by CNBC, Forbes and The Information; confirm current status.)

Independent guide. PrivateTechShares is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Scale AI. This is general educational information for people who already hold Scale AI equity. We don’t recommend or endorse any transaction — whether to buy or sell, and on what terms, is entirely your own decision based on your own due diligence. What we do: help you prepare — a clear picture of what you hold, what it may be worth, and the paperwork.

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What you actually hold at Scale AI

Scale AI equity is typically stock options and RSUs. Options you exercise into shares; RSUs settle on a liquidity event or set date. The Meta transaction gave some early holders liquidity, but for most, your grant is unchanged by the rebrand of ownership — what matters is your vested amount, strike, settlement terms, and whether your shares are transferable now that a strategic holds a large minority. Check your grant.

Scale AI at a glance — the dates that matter to holders

2024
Scale AI valued around $14 billion in its prior round.
Jun 2025
Meta takes a ~49% stake for about $14.3 billion; founder Alexandr Wang and others move to Meta; implied valuation about $29 billion.
2025–26
Scale AI continues independently; revenue guidance softens; valuation effectively frozen at the Meta mark.

Figures as publicly reported (CNBC and Forbes on the Meta deal; The Information via Yahoo Finance). Confirm current status before relying on them.

How Scale AI equity turns into cash

Scale AI is private, with no open market. The Meta transaction provided some liquidity in 2025. Going forward, selling would be through any company tender/buyback or a private secondary subject to Scale AI’s transfer rules — which can be tighter when a strategic investor holds a large minority. Don’t assume a standing market.

Where holders actually find buyers → A plain-English map of every route — buybacks, tenders, company secondaries, platforms and investor networks.

The decision you’re probably facing

Ownership changed; your grant terms probably didn’t — but the outlook did. A big strategic stake and a founder departure change a company’s trajectory, not usually the legal terms of your grant. The real question is how you read Scale AI’s outlook now, and whether to take liquidity if a window opens — valued at the frozen ~$29 billion mark, not an aspirational future number.

The practical steps: confirm what you hold and whether it’s transferable, value it at the ~$29 billion mark, and model the tax of exercising or settling.

The tax reality (US)

Most US startup equity is taxed one of two ways. RSUs are ordinary income when they settle (on a liquidity event or set date), with employer withholding that can fall short at higher incomes; later gains are capital gains. Options cost the strike to exercise and, for ISOs, can trigger AMT — use the ISO/AMT calculator. Selling in a tender or secondary is a capital-gains event on any rise since you acquired the shares. Full method in our methodology.

What to expect on price

A tender has a set price; a private secondary to an outside buyer usually happens at a discount to the last headline valuation — because the buyer takes an illiquid minority stake, and you likely hold common shares worth less than investors’ preferred. See what discount is fair.

For holders

Holding Scale AI equity? Get the occasional, no-noise update when something changes that could affect your position — we watch the private market so you don’t have to.

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Work out your Scale AI position

Get the numbers straight: what you hold, whether it’s transferable after the Meta deal, what it’s worth at ~$29 billion, and the tax of exercising or settling. Free tools give you the pieces; the report runs them on your grant.

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valuation estimator · ISO/AMT calculator · US toolkit — $39

Questions people ask

Did Meta buy Scale AI?

No — in June 2025 Meta took a roughly 49% stake for about $14.3 billion and hired the founder, but Scale AI remains an independent private company. Meta holds a large minority, not outright control, so your equity is still private-company equity.

Can I sell my Scale AI shares?

The 2025 Meta transaction gave some holders liquidity. Beyond that, selling would be through any company tender/buyback or a private secondary subject to Scale AI’s transfer rules, which can be tighter with a strategic minority holder. Confirm transferability first.

How much are my Scale AI shares worth?

Value them at the ~$29 billion mark implied by the 2025 Meta deal, adjusted for your share class and strike, with an illiquidity discount while private. Use our estimator as a starting point.

Sources

We re-verify this page’s facts monthly — they can change between updates. Figures are as reported (November 2026); confirm current status before you rely on them.

More about Scale AI: scale.com ↗ (official site) · funding & valuation data ↗.