Updated April 20th 2025, 15:34 IST
At the age of only 30, tech founder Lucy Guo has reached the impressive milestone of being the world's youngest self-made woman billionaire, surpassing pop star Taylor Swift.
This success is due to her massive ownership stake in Scale AI, a firm she co-founded in 2016, which recently hit a valuation of $25 billion. According to Forbes, Guo, 30, will surpass Taylor Swift, 35, as the youngest self-made woman to achieve the milestone.
Taylor Swift was ranked as the youngest self-made woman billionaire by Forbes in October 2023 at age 33 and net worth of $1.1 billion. This was due to her record-breaking Eras Tour, music library, and real estate, being the first artist to become a billionaire solely through songwriting and performances.
She was the holder of the title until April 2025, when Lucy Guo, 30, dethroned her as the youngest self-made woman billionaire after she became a stakeholder at Scale AI.
Guo started out by co-founding Scale AI, a San Francisco-based company that focuses on data labeling for artificial intelligence systems. Though she left the company in 2018, she still owned a large majority of shares.
This proved to be a good move as the valuation of Scale AI skyrocketed, making a huge contribution to her estimated net worth of $1.25 billion.
Outside of Scale AI, Guo entered the creator economy by starting Passes, a platform that enables content creators to monetise their content. The platform has received substantial investment, including a $40 million Series A round. Her success in several ventures speaks to her entrepreneurial skills and flexibility in the tech space.
Guo's rise to billionaire ranks puts her in a rare category of self-made women under 40 to have reached this level of financial success. Her journey is an example for budding entrepreneurs and shows how strategic decision-making, coupled with innovation in the tech industry, can yield results.
Lucy Guo's ascension to the status of youngest self-made woman billionaire is a testament to the power of determination and vision. Her success not only redefines success levels in the technology sector but also sets the precedent for generations of entrepreneurs to follow in her footsteps and leave their mark on the world.
Published April 20th 2025, 15:07 IST