Key facts
- Scale AI has appointed Francis DeSouza as its new chief executive officer.
- DeSouza's appointment is effective August 10.
- He previously held executive roles at Google Cloud, including COO and president of security products.
- DeSouza also served as president and CEO of Illumina, growing its revenue to over $4.5 billion.
- Scale AI recently added BP and Mayo Clinic as enterprise customers.
Scale AI announced on Thursday the appointment of Francis DeSouza, a former executive from Google Cloud, as its new chief executive officer, effective August 10. The move signals the AI company's intent to expand its data and applications businesses.
DeSouza succeeds Jason Droege, who has been serving as interim CEO since June of the previous year. Droege will collaborate with DeSouza during the upcoming months to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Founded by Alexandr Wang, Scale AI specializes in providing data essential for advanced AI models and develops AI applications for both commercial and governmental clients. Wang himself joined Meta Platforms last year as its chief AI officer.
DeSouza brings over three decades of experience in the enterprise technology sector. Most recently, he held the positions of chief operating officer and president of security products at Google Cloud. Prior to his tenure at Google Cloud, DeSouza led Illumina, a company focused on genomic data and sequencing, where he oversaw revenue growth to over $4.5 billion and expansion into more than 150 countries. His earlier career included a role as president of products and services at cybersecurity firm Symantec, and he founded two companies that were subsequently acquired by Microsoft and Symantec. DeSouza holds degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Scale AI also noted its recent success in acquiring BP and Mayo Clinic as new enterprise customers, alongside expanding its work with various U.S. and international government entities.