Alexandr Wang, a 29-year-old MIT dropout, has been at the forefront of launching Meta’s highly popular Muse AI app. He’s known for his casual demeanor—like his mullet hairstyle—and often shares edgy memes on social media.
A couple of weeks after the Muse AI agent debuted on September 8, Wang shared a post featuring Jolly, the app’s cute, plush mascot, in a rather playful pose, displaying its large fuzzy backside. In the post, he asked, “Does this do anything for any of you?” and encouraged followers to be honest, stating it was a “no judgment zone.”
This sparked a wave of memes, some quite risqué, with Wang even reposting a few that sexualized the mascot. One meme that caught his attention humorously included an image of Zuckerberg with his head photoshopped onto Jolly’s body in the same pose.
Wang, who joined Meta last year after a $14 billion deal with Zuckerberg, has injected a distinct Gen Z energy into the company as it navigates various controversies, including a $12.7 billion settlement regarding teen social media use.
When Wang joined, there was skepticism among many executives, including AI expert Yann LeCun, who left shortly after. However, the Muse app’s recent success has resulted in a 20% rise in Meta’s stock, boosting its market cap significantly.
On Saturday, Wang expressed excitement about a user showcasing Muse’s capabilities in creating a video game app, commenting, “this is f–king great.”
Wang’s approach contrasts sharply with Zuckerberg’s more reserved social media presence, which typically covers family milestones and product announcements, alongside updates on his jiu-jitsu training.
At a recent developer conference for Meta, Wang made an appearance in a camo T-shirt and Crocs, prompting one user to mock his outfit. Wang quickly responded, clarifying he spent only $30 on the T-shirt, $60 on the Crocs, and $5 on his underwear, even highlighting the latter with a cheeky arrow.
This unique style could be a deliberate strategy by Meta, aimed at attracting younger users to their platforms, especially as Zuckerberg adopts a more mature public image, recently dining with President Trump at the White House—a stark contrast to his earlier brashness when he famously printed “I’m CEO, Bitch” on his business cards after founding Facebook.
Wang, who previously founded and led Scale AI, which became an essential supplier for major AI labs, has turned into one of the youngest self-made billionaires. He joined Meta in a massive investment that saw the company take a 49% stake in Scale AI to bolster its AI strategy amid disappointing results from its Llama 4 model.
Upon starting at Meta, Wang reportedly found Zuckerberg’s approach to managing AI initiatives constricting, describing it as “suffocating,” according to a report from the Financial Times.
Mike Volpi, from Scale’s board, mentioned to the Wall Street Journal that hiring a high-profile outsider like Wang could unsettle the existing team. Yet he acknowledged that both Mark and Alex deserve credit for making the collaboration work.
The Post has reached out to Meta for comment.
