You cannot buy or sell Scale AI stock on public exchanges in 2025, but traders still want to know if they can gain exposure. This is a common question in markets when a private company gets big headlines, and it speaks to one of my trading principles: focus on what you can trade, not what you wish you could. Scale AI’s high-profile deals and billion-dollar valuation are drawing attention, but the trading opportunities are currently found elsewhere.
If you want to know about AI stocks that are tradeable — check my AI watchlist here!
Read this article because it shows you how to approach Scale AI stock in 2025 — whether you can buy or sell it directly, what the latest valuation means for traders, and which public alternatives give you practical ways to gain exposure to the AI sector.
I’ll answer the following questions:
- Is Scale AI a publicly traded company?
- What is Scale AI’s current valuation?
- How can traders gain exposure to Scale AI stock through public alternatives?
- Is it legal to buy private shares of Scale AI?
- Does any ETF provide exposure to Scale AI?
- Is Scale AI preparing for an IPO?
- Is Scale AI profitable today?
- Which venture capital firms back Scale AI?
Let’s get to the content!
Table of Contents
Overview of Scale AI
Scale AI is a technology company focused on data labeling and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Founded in 2016 by Alexandr Wang and Lucy Guo, the company has grown into a key partner for enterprises needing large-scale data solutions to train AI models. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with additional global operations and thousands of employees and contractors working on specialized data annotation projects.
The company provides services to big players like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI, although recent reports indicate that some of these firms have reduced their partnerships as Scale AI aligned with Meta. Scale AI’s product lineup includes enterprise software tools and AI monitoring services that streamline development, improve efficiency, and meet unique customer needs. From my experience teaching traders, companies like this attract interest because of their rapid growth and potential future IPO, but traders need to separate the headlines from actual tradable stock opportunities.
Is Scale AI a Publicly Traded Company?
Scale AI is not a publicly traded company — but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t still be on your watchlist. (Check Breaking News for the latest!)
In 2025, Scale AI’s shares are only available through private markets, which means most people cannot buy or sell them directly. Access to these private shares is typically limited to accredited investors through platforms like Forge Global, where trades are based on negotiated prices rather than exchange volume.
This is a critical point for traders. I’ve always taught that chasing something you can’t trade wastes time you could spend analyzing setups in stocks with liquidity and ticker symbols listed on major exchanges like Nasdaq or NYSE. While investors in private equity might look at Scale AI’s $29.18 billion valuation, traders should focus on public companies in the AI sector that move daily and provide opportunity.
Valuation of Scale AI
Scale AI’s current valuation is about $29.18 billion following Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in June 2025. That deal gave Meta a 49% equity stake, making it one of the largest outside backers of the company. Valuation in private markets is set through funding rounds, not open trading, so there’s no transparent stock price chart the way there is with a public ticker.
Valuation alone does not tell you whether a company is profitable or what its long-term return might look like. Reports suggest Scale AI has strong revenue but also faces challenges like recent layoffs of 14% of its workforce. When I teach traders, I emphasize that chasing hype without looking at performance metrics such as revenue growth, gross profit, and EBITDA can lead to bad trades. In Scale AI’s case, those financial details are not public, making it harder to judge compared to a stock you can trade daily with clear earnings per share and ratios.
Public Alternatives to Scale AI
Since you cannot buy or sell Scale AI shares today, traders often look for public companies in the same sector. These are stocks with volume, price charts, and clear financial data that you can analyze for trading opportunities. The artificial intelligence trend has pushed many established technology companies into focus, with each offering different exposure to AI development and deployment.
When I build watchlists, I remind traders to focus on names that move and create opportunity. AI is not a single stock story, but a sector trend driving performance across multiple companies. By studying these alternatives, traders can find setups based on actual price action rather than speculation about when Scale AI might go public.
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C3.ai (NYSE: AI)
C3.ai trades under the ticker AI and is one of the few pure-play artificial intelligence stocks available on a U.S. exchange. The company develops enterprise software solutions that help businesses with data analysis, monitoring needs, and AI deployments. It markets itself as a direct AI company, which often draws traders looking for momentum opportunities in the sector.
Check out our expert analysis of C3.ai!
The stock can be volatile, making it attractive for traders who understand how to manage risk with entries and exits. From my own trading, I’ve seen how names like this can spike on news or earnings, then fade quickly if the revenue or EPS numbers disappoint. C3.ai has limited profitability, but the trend around AI technology keeps it active on watchlists. Traders who track volume and chart setups here can find short-term opportunities without waiting for private deals.
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR)
Palantir Technologies is another public alternative, with a strong focus on data and government contracts. The company provides software and services that help organizations analyze massive amounts of information, often for defense, intelligence, and enterprise clients. Palantir has positioned itself as a key player in artificial intelligence and predictive analytics.
Its stock price has shown strong moves in the past, especially when news about new contracts or government partnerships hits the market. For traders, Palantir offers both growth potential and volatility, with its valuation heavily debated by investors and analysts. I teach that companies like this, with real revenue and large-scale government support, often have staying power. The question for traders is not whether Palantir will exist long-term, but how to time trades based on chart patterns, volume, and momentum.
I’ve been calling out this stock since it was in the $20s. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m still bullish on this stock.
Check out this article from February 2024 — as long as you can keep the FOMO at bay!
Meta (NASDAQ: META)
Meta Platforms is best known for its social media products, but its $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI has shifted attention to its AI ambitions. By hiring Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang as Chief AI Officer, Meta is signaling how serious it is about building advanced AI systems. Meta also generates billions in revenue and profits from advertising, giving it strong financial backing for new technology development.
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The stock itself trades with high volume and attracts both traders and long-term investors. With a market cap around $1.8 trillion, Meta is a massive company, but AI-related news can still influence its short-term stock price. In my teaching, I always point out that big-cap stocks like Meta often move less sharply than small-caps, but they can still provide trading opportunities when tied to sector momentum. AI content, ideas, and deployments within Meta’s ecosystem could drive future performance.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)
NVIDIA is at the center of AI growth because its graphics processing units (GPUs) power much of the training and deployment of AI models. The company has reported record revenue and gross profit margins as demand for its products surged. NVIDIA is a hardware and software hybrid, with its chips driving efficiency across data centers, cloud platforms, and AI-focused companies.
Here’s what to watch — Nvidia’s Stock Faces Uncertain Wave Amid Regulatory Tightening.
The stock has been one of the strongest AI-related trades in recent years. Traders know it for its strong chart trends, momentum, and heavy volume. While valuation ratios may look stretched to some investors, I teach traders to respect the strength of a trend until the chart shows a clear reversal. NVIDIA remains one of the clearest ways to trade the AI theme directly on public markets.
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)
Amazon is another giant with deep involvement in artificial intelligence, particularly through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud division. The company invested billions into Anthropic, an AI start-up, to compete with Microsoft and Google in the AI sector. Beyond cloud services, Amazon deploys AI across retail, logistics, and media, making it a diversified play on technology development.
Is It Too Late to Buy Amazon Stock?
Its stock price is influenced by multiple sectors, from consumer spending to cloud growth. For traders, that creates multiple catalysts, including earnings reports that show revenue, EPS, and margin performance across its business units. Amazon may not be a pure AI stock, but its commitment to AI integration gives traders an angle to watch when news or trends in artificial intelligence gain momentum in the market.
Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW)
Snowflake provides cloud-based data warehousing and analysis solutions, making it a natural fit for the AI sector. The company’s products allow enterprises to manage and analyze data more efficiently, a critical need for AI development. Partnerships with other AI companies have made Snowflake a popular stock among traders looking for AI-related moves.
The stock can be volatile after earnings, often reacting strongly to revenue growth forecasts and customer acquisition metrics. I’ve taught that these kinds of data-driven companies can provide short-term trading setups when volume spikes. While Snowflake may not directly compete with Scale AI, its focus on data solutions ties it to the same growth trend. Traders looking for chart-based trades can find opportunity here.
AMD (NASDAQ: AMD)
AMD competes directly with NVIDIA in producing chips that support AI development. The company’s products are used in everything from PCs to data centers, with new lines of processors designed for artificial intelligence workloads. AMD has worked to improve efficiency and performance, trying to capture more market share in a highly competitive sector.
The stock often trades with strong correlation to NVIDIA, but it can also move independently on product announcements and financial results. For traders, AMD provides opportunities in both short-term momentum and longer-term sector rotation plays. My teaching experience has shown that following both NVDA and AMD can help traders anticipate moves, as strength in one often spills into the other. AI remains a strong catalyst for AMD’s future performance.
How Scale AI Makes Money
Scale AI makes money by providing data labeling, monitoring, and AI infrastructure services to enterprises and government clients. Its platform supports the development of artificial intelligence models by preparing data, training software, and deploying solutions across multiple industries. Customers pay for these services based on scale, complexity, and support needs.
Revenue comes from enterprise contracts, public sector work, and partnerships with technology companies. While specific gross profit, EBITDA, or EPS figures are not public, Scale AI has raised billions in capital from investors betting on its growth potential. I always stress that traders need actual stock price data and trading volume to act, and private companies like this don’t provide that. Without exchange-listed shares or dividend records, Scale AI remains more of an investor story than a trading one.
Growth Potential and Market Outlook of Scale AI
Scale AI’s growth potential is significant given the rising demand for artificial intelligence across multiple sectors. The company already has major deployments in enterprise and government, and Meta’s investment positions it as a central part of future AI development. However, recent layoffs show that even fast-growing companies can mismanage resources and need restructuring.
For traders, the market outlook of Scale AI matters because it shapes the broader AI trend that moves public stocks. If Scale AI continues to expand, public companies tied to data, cloud, and chips may benefit. I’ve taught that watching sector growth helps you forecast future trading setups. The company’s ability to return to profitability and manage its revenue growth will be key to its eventual IPO potential, but for now, its performance is indirect exposure through related tickers.
Key Takeaways
- Scale AI is not publicly traded, which means you cannot buy or sell its stock in 2025.
- Its $29.18 billion valuation and Meta’s $14.3 billion investment make it a headline name, but traders must focus on public alternatives like C3.ai, Palantir, NVIDIA, and Meta itself.
- The growth of artificial intelligence is driving opportunities across the market, but successful trading comes from focusing on stocks with liquidity, volume, and clear data.
This is a market tailor-made for traders who are prepared. AI stocks thrive on volatility, but it’s up to you to capitalize on it. Stick to your plan, manage your risk, and don’t let FOMO drive your decisions.
These opportunities are fast and unpredictable, but with the right strategy, you can make them work for you.
If you want to know what I’m looking for — check out my free webinar here!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AITX Compete With Scale AI?
AITX, or Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, is best known for its RadCam security product and automation services, not large-scale data labeling like Scale AI. While both are in artificial intelligence, their solutions focus on different monitoring needs and customer bases. Traders watching AITX often look for short-term stock price moves based on news from its Ferndale headquarters rather than comparing it directly to Scale AI.
Can Videos and Content Drive Value for AI Companies?
Videos and content are critical for training AI models because they provide data that improves accuracy and efficiency. Companies like Scale AI and its public alternatives focus on delivering services that help convert raw media into usable datasets. For traders, understanding how this translates into revenue growth can help gauge whether a stock offers value in a portfolio built around AI.
Does Scale AI Have Any Subsidiary Operations or a Named CEO?
Scale AI does not currently report subsidiaries in the way large public companies do, but it does have divisions focused on enterprise and government deployments. After founder Alexandr Wang joined Meta, Jason Droege became interim CEO to manage operations. Leadership changes like this are important for traders to track because they can influence performance, strategy, and long-term company direction.
How Do Ferndale and Finance Relate to Trading AI Stocks?
Ferndale is where AITX operates, and its finance updates often highlight risk and return ratios important to small-cap traders. While it’s a different type of company than Scale AI, its news flow and videos showing new deployments can influence short-term trading setups. For active traders, tracking both local operations and broader market finance trends can provide context when building a portfolio with AI exposure.