How Lucy Guo became the youngest self-made woman billionaire
What's the story
Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI, has become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire at just 30.
She achieved the feat thanks to her massive stake in Scale AI, a start-up that labels data to train AI systems.
The company is close to completing a tender offer enabling early employees and investors to sell shares to new or returning investors.
The deal values the nine-year-old private company at $25 billion, an 80% jump from its valuation in May 2024.
Career path
Guo's journey to billionaire status
Guo co-founded Scale AI in 2016 at 21 with Alexandr Wang, then 19.
After leaving the company over some disagreements, Guo kept most of her stake in Scale AI while pursuing other ventures.
She now holds an estimated stake of just under 5% in Scale AI worth nearly $1.2 billion.
"I don't really think about it much, it's a bit wild. Too bad it's all on paper haha," said Guo about her new billionaire status.
Net worth
Guo's net worth stands at around $1.25B
Adding in Guo's other assets, including her holding in her second start-up, Passes, and she's worth $1.25 billion.
Guo is one of only six self-made women billionaires under 40 in the world. Uniquely, she built most of her wealth from a company she no longer works at.
Until now, Taylor Swift held the crown as the youngest self-made woman billionaire.
The singer, 35, reached billionaire status in October 2023 and currently boasts a net worth of $1.6 billion.
Business endeavors
Guo's entrepreneurial journey and ventures
After leaving Scale AI, Guo founded Backend Capital, a VC firm that invested in early-stage companies.
One of its major investments was a six-figure bet on financial software company Ramp in 2020.
In 2022, she launched Passes, a Patreon and OnlyFans-like platform for creators and celebrities to connect with fans.
The platform has signed deals with several high-profile celebrities including gymnast Olivia Dunne, basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, and DJ Kygo.
Background
Guo's educational and work background
Guo, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and started coding in middle school.
She studied computer science and human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University but left to join the Thiel Fellowship, which supports young entrepreneurs building companies instead of finishing college.
In 2015, she worked as a product designer at Quora, where she met Wang. She also worked briefly at Snapchat doing product design, before starting Scale AI.