Scale AI Appoints Francis deSouza as CEO, Taps Google Cloud Veteran to Lead AI Infrastructure Company

Summary

Scale AI announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Francis deSouza as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 10, 2026. deSouza, who most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and President of Security Products at Google Cloud, brings over three decades of experience building and scaling enterprise technology businesses. His appointment comes as Scale AI accelerates growth across its data and applications businesses, with recent wins including enterprise customers BP and Mayo Clinic, as well as expanded contracts with U.S. and international governments.

DeSouza's background is particularly well-suited to Scale AI's mission. He previously served as President and CEO of Illumina, where he oversaw one of the world's largest genomic data platforms, growing revenue to over $4.5 billion and expanding reach to more than 150 countries. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Symantec and founded two companies later acquired by Microsoft and Symantec. At Google Cloud, he witnessed firsthand how enterprises and governments deploy AI applications at scale—a critical perspective for leading Scale AI.

Jason Droege, who served as interim CEO since June 2025, will work closely with deSouza during the transition. Scale AI's core mission combines data infrastructure that powers frontier AI models with applications enabling their real-world deployment across governments and Fortune 500 companies. DeSouza's focus will be expanding Scale's solutions into more businesses and governments while delivering superior data for AI labs and demonstrating measurable value.

• deSouza's expertise in large-scale data platforms and enterprise deployment aligns with Scale AI's dual focus on AI data infrastructure and real-world applications
• Appointment signals Scale AI's transition from growth stage to mature enterprise company requiring experienced executive leadership