Meta has reached out to several AI startups, including Perplexity AI and Runway, in an acquisition effort, but most declined the offers. The company secured a $14.3 billion deal for a 49% stake in Scale AI, appointing CEO Alexandr Wang to lead superintelligence projects. This aggressive recruitment is a response to Meta's frustration with its AI progress and aims to compete with industry leaders like OpenAI and Google for top talent, amplifying the race for innovation.