Lucy Guo, the co-founder of Scale AI, has officially become the youngest self-made woman billionaire in the world at the age of 30. Although she left Scale AI in 2018, she held on to her shares, which are now worth nearly $1.2 billion. With her other investments, her total net worth is estimated at $1.25 billion.
Scale AI’s Huge Growth Brings Big Money
Scale AI, a fast-growing artificial intelligence company, is currently wrapping up a tender offer that values the company at $25 billion. That’s an 80% increase from last year when the company was worth $13.8 billion. The deal is expected to finish by June 1.
Co-Founder Turned Tech Billionaire
Lucy co-founded Scale AI in 2016 with Alexandr Wang when she was 21 and he was 19. She managed operations and product design. Despite being fired two years later due to internal disagreements, she said, “I’m proud of what Scale AI has accomplished.”
What Happened After She Left Scale AI?
Even after her departure, Lucy made a smart choice by keeping most of her shares in the company. She moved on to new ventures, including Backend Capital, a small VC firm, and later, a new creator platform called Passes.
What is Passes and Why It’s Gaining Attention
Lucy started Passes in 2022. It’s a content platform similar to Patreon or OnlyFans, allowing fans to pay for direct chats and content from creators. Big names like Olivia Dunne, Shaquille O’Neal, and DJ Kygo joined. Passes has already raised $50 million and is now valued at $150 million.
Legal Trouble Hits Passes
Recently, Passes faced a lawsuit accusing the platform of hosting harmful content involving underage users. Before the lawsuit, the platform had already removed all underage accounts and their content. A company spokesperson said these claims are “baseless” and not connected to Guo or the company’s actions.
A Tech Billionaire Who Works Out and Parties
Besides running companies, Lucy keeps fit with daily workouts at Barry’s Bootcamp, completing 3,000 classes. She also enjoys attending music festivals like Coachella and Ultra Miami. Recently, her company hosted a large Coachella event with thousands attending.
From Middle School Coder to Billionaire
Lucy, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She started coding in middle school, studied at Carnegie Mellon University, and dropped out to become a Thiel Fellow, a program for young entrepreneurs. She worked at Quora and Snapchat before starting Scale AI.
Scale AI’s Role in the AI Industry
Scale AI helps train artificial intelligence by labeling data. Early on, it paid contractors to label images for self-driving cars. Now, its clients include OpenAI and the U.S. government, using its tech for things like analyzing satellite images of Ukraine.
Lucy Guo’s Place in Tech History
Lucy is one of only six self-made women billionaires under 40, and the only one to build her fortune mostly from a company she no longer works at. Her story is a powerful reminder of how early ideas and bold moves can shape the future.
