Lucy Guo dethrones Taylor Swift from being the youngest self-made woman billionaire
Lucy Guo, a 30-year-old tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Scale AI, has surpassed Taylor Swift to become the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire even after leaving the company 10 years ago, according to Forbes.
Guo’s estimated net worth of $1.25 billion stems primarily from her stake in Scale AI, a data-labeling company she co-founded in 2016.
Although she departed the company in 2018 she held on to her 5% equity in the company and it has appreciated significantly, with Scale AI’s valuation reaching $25 billion.
Her back story? Here’s what we know about her:
Lucy Guo is a prominent American entrepreneur and technologist, best known as the co-founder of Scale AI and the founder of Passes.
Born on October 14, 1994, in the United States, she was raised in Fremont, California, by Chinese immigrant parents who were both electrical engineers.
From a young age, Guo exhibited a strong interest in technology, teaching herself programming and earning money by developing bots for the online game Neopets and selling in-game assets.
Guo pursued studies in computer science and human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University but left in 2014 after being selected for the Thiel Fellowship, a program that offers $100,000 to young people to pursue entrepreneurial projects instead of completing their college education.
After leaving university, Guo interned at Facebook and later joined Snapchat as the company’s first female designer, contributing to features like Snap Maps. She then moved to Quora, where she met Alexandr Wang.
In 2016, the duo co-founded Scale AI, a company specializing in providing high-quality training data for AI applications. Guo departed from Scale AI in 2018 due to differences in product vision but retained a significant stake in the company.
In 2022, Guo founded Passes, a Web3 platform designed to empower digital creators with monetization tools. The company secured $40 million in Series A funding in early 2024.
Despite facing controversies, including legal challenges related to content moderation, Guo’s ventures have significantly contributed to her financial success.
As of April 17, 2025, Forbes estimated her net worth at $1.25 billion, making her the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire at the age of 30.
Guo is also known for her dynamic personal life, having lived as a digital nomad before settling in Miami, where her lifestyle garnered media attention.
She continues to be a significant figure in the tech industry, recognized for her innovative contributions and entrepreneurial spirit.
And now, Guo’s rise to billionaire status places her among a select group of self-made women billionaires under 40, which includes Taylor Swift and Rihanna.
