Character.ai vs Scale AI: Founders, CEOs and History
Character.ai was founded in 2021 by Noam Shazeer, Daniel De Freitas and is led by Karandeep Anand. Scale AI was founded in 2016 by Alexandr Wang, Lucy Guo and is led by Francis deSouza.
Company facts
Character.ai
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Menlo Park, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Karandeep Anand
- Employees
- 130
Scale AI
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Francis deSouza
- Employees
- 1,200
Founders
Character.ai
Noam Shazeer
Noam Shazeer co-founded Character.ai in 2021 and was its CEO until August 2024, when he returned to Google under the licensing deal and became a co-lead of the Gemini models at Google DeepMind.
Daniel De Freitas
Daniel De Freitas co-founded Character.ai in 2021 and served as its President. He had begun Google's open-domain chatbot work as a side project, which grew into Meena and LaMDA.
Scale AI
Alexandr Wang
Alexandr Wang co-founded Scale AI in 2016 and was its CEO until June 2025. He led the move from self-driving data into language-model training data and U.S. defense work, and Forbes named him the youngest self-made billionaire in 2022.
Lucy Guo
Lucy Guo co-founded Scale AI with Alexandr Wang in 2016 and led early product and design work. She left in 2018 and later founded the venture firm Backend Capital and the creator platform Passes. Lucy Guo was born in 1994. Guo left Scale AI in 2018.
CEOs and their tenures
Character.ai
- Noam Shazeer2021–2024
Co-founder & CEO
As Co-Founder and CEO, he famously left Google (where he co-authored the foundational 'Attention is All You Need' paper) to build Character.ai, before controversially returning to Google in 2024 in a massive acqui-hire deal.
Source - Daniel De Freitas2021–2024
Co-founder & President
As Co-Founder and President, he previously led the development of Meena (Google's conversational AI) before leaving to launch Character.ai, eventually returning to Google alongside Shazeer.
Source - Dominic Perella2024–2025
Interim CEO (General Counsel)
As General Counsel, he assumed the role of interim CEO following the abrupt departure of both founders to Google, tasked with stabilizing the massive consumer platform.
Source - Karandeep Anand2025–present
CEO
As Head of Engineering (hired from Meta), he leads the remaining technical team following Google's aggressive extraction of Character.ai's top researchers.
Source
Scale AI
- Alexandr Wang2016–2025
Co-Founder, former CEO and Chairman
Co-founded Scale and ran it until June 2025, when he joined Meta; remains chairman of the board.
Source - Jason Droege2025–2026
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Former chief strategy officer and Uber Eats founder who led Scale through the post-Meta-deal restructuring.
Source - Francis deSouza2026–present
Chief Executive Officer
Former Illumina CEO and Google Cloud COO, appointed CEO effective August 10, 2026 to grow the applications business.
Source
Timeline: Character.ai and Scale AI side by side
2016Scale AI
Scale AI founded
Alexandr Wang and Lucy Guo founded Scale in Y Combinator's S16 batch.
2018Scale AI
Lucy Guo departs
Co-founder Lucy Guo left the company.
2019Scale AI
Series C and unicorn status
Founders Fund led a $100 million round valuing Scale above $1 billion.
2021Character.ai
Character.ai founded
Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas leave Google and found Character Technologies in Menlo Park.
2021Scale AI
Series E at $7.3 billion
Scale raised $325 million at a $7.3 billion valuation.
2022Character.ai
Public beta launches
The web beta opens on September 16, 2022, letting anyone create and chat with AI characters.
2023Character.ai
$150M Series A at $1B valuation
Andreessen Horowitz leads a $150 million round in March 2023, with Nat Friedman, Elad Gil, SV Angel and A Capital.
2023Character.ai
Mobile apps and c.ai+
iOS and Android apps launch in May 2023, along with the $9.99-a-month c.ai+ subscription.
2024Character.ai
Google licensing deal
In August 2024 Google licenses Character.ai's models for about $2.7 billion and rehires both founders; Dominic Perella becomes interim CEO.
2024Character.ai
First teen-harm lawsuit
Megan Garcia sues Character.ai and Google in October 2024 over the death of her 14-year-old son; the company adds teen-specific safety features.
2024Scale AI
Series F at $13.8 billion
Accel led a $1 billion round with Nvidia, Amazon and Meta participating.
2025Character.ai
Karandeep Anand named CEO
Former Meta VP of business products Karandeep Anand becomes CEO in June 2025.
2025Character.ai
Open-ended chat ends for minors
From November 25, 2025, users under 18 can no longer have open-ended chats; the company points them to formats such as Stories.
2025Scale AI
Meta invests $14.3 billion
Meta took 49% at a valuation above $29 billion; Wang joined Meta and Jason Droege became interim CEO.
2025Scale AI
Layoffs
Scale cut 200 full-time staff and 500 contractors in July.
2026Character.ai
Family lawsuits settled
In January 2026 Character.ai and Google agree to settle five family lawsuits on confidential terms.
2026Character.ai
Pennsylvania lawsuit
Pennsylvania sues in May 2026, alleging bots posed as licensed medical professionals.
2026Scale AI
Francis deSouza becomes CEO
The former Illumina chief took over on August 10, 2026.
Acquisitions
Character.ai
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Scale AI
- ICG Solutions2026Undisclosed
- SiaSearch2021Undisclosed
- Helia2020Undisclosed
Questions about Character.ai vs Scale AI
Who is the CEO of Character.ai and Scale AI, Inc.?
Character.ai is led by Karandeep Anand and Scale AI, Inc. is led by Francis deSouza. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Character.ai founded vs Scale AI, Inc.?
Scale AI, Inc. was founded in 2016 — 5 years before Character.ai, which was founded in 2021. Scale AI, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Character.ai.
How many employees does Character.ai have compared to Scale AI, Inc.?
Character.ai employs approximately 130 people, while Scale AI, Inc. employs approximately 1,200. Scale AI, Inc. has the larger workforce at 1,200 employees, compared to Character.ai's 130. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Character.ai and Scale AI, Inc. headquartered?
Both Character.ai and Scale AI, Inc. are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Character.ai and Scale AI, Inc.?
Character.ai was founded by Noam Shazeer, Daniel De Freitas. Scale AI, Inc. was founded by Alexandr Wang, Lucy Guo.
Which company has a longer operating history — Character.ai or Scale AI, Inc.?
Scale AI, Inc. has been operating for approximately 10 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Character.ai has been in operation for around 5 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Character.ai vs Scale AI overview