Lucy Guo: Woman Beating Taylor Swift in Billionaire Race

• Lucy Guo becomes the youngest self-made female billionaire by building the AI startup Scale AI, valued at $25 billion.
• She dropped out of Carnegie Mellon and worked at Quora and Snapchat before founding Scale AI at age 21.
• Guo now leads Passes, a content platform facing legal challenges, while maintaining a lavish lifestyle and multiple business ventures.

Taylor Swift no longer holds the title of the youngest self-made female billionaire. Forbes named Lucy Guo, a 30-year-old tech founder, as the new youngest billionaire woman. Guo made her fortune from the booming artificial intelligence industry. According to Forbes, Guo’s net worth now stands at $1.3 billion. She earned this wealth by co-founding Scale AI, a startup that helps train AI models with large data sets. While Swift earned her money through music and touring, Guo built hers in the tech world, showing how diverse paths can lead to massive success.

How Lucy Guo Built Scale AI into a $25 Billion Company by Age 30

Lucy Guo started Scale AI in 2016 with Alexandr Wang when she was just 21. Wang was 19 at the time. They built the company quickly into a major player in AI. Scale AI creates high-quality data sets that train AI chatbots for companies like OpenAI and Google’s parent company Alphabet. The startup’s value reached $25 billion in a deal expected to close soon. Guo’s 5% stake in the company is now worth about $1.2 billion. Even though she left day-to-day operations after disagreements with Wang, she kept her ownership and benefited from the company’s huge growth.

From Middle School Coder to Carnegie Mellon Dropout and Early Career Moves

Guo grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her parents immigrated from China. She learned to code in middle school, showing early talent in technology. Later, she attended Carnegie Mellon University, one of the top schools for computer science. But she dropped out after winning a $100,000 entrepreneurial scholarship funded by billionaire Peter Thiel. She then took a job at Quora in 2015, where she met Wang. She also worked briefly at Snapchat as the company’s first female designer. These early experiences helped Guo build a strong tech background before starting her own company.

Guo’s Role at Scale AI and Her Departure After Clashing with CEO

At Scale AI, Guo led operations and production design. She helped shape how the company worked behind the scenes. But she and Wang disagreed on the company’s direction. Wang served as CEO and eventually fired Guo. Despite this conflict, Guo kept most of her shares in the company, which turned out to be extremely valuable. She expressed pride in what Scale AI achieved, even after leaving. This shows Guo’s resilience and focus on long-term success.

The Lifestyle of a Billionaire: Miami, LA, Tech Work, and Partying

Guo lives a lavish lifestyle. She owns a luxury apartment in Miami and a house in Los Angeles. She never cooks or shops for groceries. Instead, she orders all her meals through Uber Eats. Guo works hard, often eight hours a day even on vacation. She maintains her fitness by taking two Barry’s Bootcamp classes daily. She also enjoys attending techno raves. She admits that many people find her tough or unlikable online but says her blunt style earns respect from friends and colleagues.

Launching Passes: A Family-Friendly Content Platform with Rapid Growth

After Scale AI, Guo launched Passes. Passes is a platform where content creators can earn money. It markets itself as a family-friendly alternative to OnlyFans and Patreon. Passes allows creators to keep 90% of their earnings, attracting many users. The company raised $40 million in a Series A funding round last year. This funding has helped Guo support her expensive lifestyle. Passes has gained fast popularity but also faced challenges, which we cover next.

Legal Challenges: Lawsuit Accuses Passes of Failing to Stop Child Exploitation

Passes now faces a serious class-action lawsuit. The complaint accuses Passes of allowing child pornography on its platform. It alleges some staff knowingly let explicit content featuring an underage creator circulate. The lawsuit claims that Guo personally overrode safety controls meant to protect minors. Just before the suit, Passes banned underage creators and removed their content. Guo’s lawyers call the lawsuit baseless and an attempt to damage her company’s reputation. They also mention rejecting a $15 million settlement demand.

Beyond Scale AI and Passes: Guo’s Investment Firm Backend Capital

In addition to her startups, Guo runs Backend Capital, a small investment firm. This business allows her to invest in other projects and startups. It adds another income stream and shows her broader interest in tech and finance.

Forbes Rankings: Where Lucy Guo and Taylor Swift Stand Today

Forbes ranked Lucy Guo 26th on America’s Richest Self-Made Women list. Taylor Swift ranked 21st. Although Swift lost the youngest billionaire title, she remains the richest female musician. Her net worth reached $1.6 billion after her hugely successful “Eras Tour” in 2023. Guo’s rise highlights how tech can quickly create new billionaires, while Swift’s success shows power in entertainment and music.

Diane Hendricks Tops the List with $22.3 Billion Net Worth

The richest self-made woman on Forbes’ list is Diane Hendricks. She owns ABC Supply, a leading distributor of roofing, siding, and windows. Her net worth stands at $22.3 billion. This gap shows the scale difference between tech founders and long-established business leaders. However, Guo’s fast rise at just 30 years old marks her as a major force to watch in the years ahead.