Lucy Guo
Lucy Guo | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1994 California, U.S. |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (Dropped out) |
| Known for | Co-founding Scale AI and Passes Inc. |
Lucy Guo is an American entrepreneur and engineer who co-founded Scale AI.[1] In 2022, she founded her second start-up, known as Passes.[2]
Early life and education
Guo was born October 14, 1994 and raised in Fremont, California, by Chinese immigrant parents who worked as electrical engineers.[3][4] She began coding at a young age; as a teenager she taught herself programming and earned money by developing bots for the online game Neopets and selling the in-game assets for profit.[5] Guo enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University where she studied computer science[5] but dropped out in 2014 after being selected for the Thiel Fellowship,[6][7] a two-year $100,000 grant for young people to pursue entrepreneurial projects instead of completing their studies.[5]
Career
Guo interned at Facebook before joining Snapchat as the company's first female designer.[8] At Snapchat, she helped develop Snap Maps.[9] She then moved to Quora where she met Alexandr Wang.[10] They co-founded Scale AI in 2016, where Guo led operations and product design efforts.[11] She left two years later due to disagreements with Wang, but with a 5% stake in the company.[1][12] When Meta bought Scale AI for $25 billion in May 2025, Guo replaced Taylor Swift to become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire.[13][3][14] She is one of only six self-made female billionaires on Earth, according to Forbes.[15][11]
In 2018, Guo launched an app called Apply to Date allowing users to create a dating resume.[16] In 2019, she launched Backend Capital,[17] originally called Backend Ventures,[18] a venture capital firm that primarily funds early-stage engineering startups.[19] The firm has funded startups such as the fintech company Ramp.[18][19]
In 2022, Guo founded Passes, a social platform that allows creators to post content for paid subscribers.[20][21] Passes acquired other creator platforms as part of its growth strategy, including Fanhouse, founded by Rosie Nguyen.[22] Passes raised a $40 million Series A in 2024.[23]
Guo's Passes platform does not allow nudity or sexual content, and takes a ten percent margin from creator earnings.[24] The platform includes deals with talent ranging from Shaquille O'Neal to gymnast Olivia Dunne.[15]
Personal life
As of 2024, Guo lives in Los Angeles.[25][26][27]
She was "living as a digital nomad" for a number of years before buying a $6.7 million apartment in 2020 in Miami where her parties caused conflict with neighbors.[28][29]
In 2024, she purchased another $4.2 million home in West Hollywood,[30] and then purchased a $30 million home in Hollywood Hills in 2025.[31]
Despite her wealth, Guo has been an advocate for a frugal lifestyle, including early influence from the FIRE movement.[15] She claims to drive a Honda Civic and shop at Shein.[32]
References
- ^ a b Weinberg, Cory (June 28, 2024). "Fame, Feud and Fortune: Inside Billionaire Alexandr Wang's Relentless Rise in Silicon Valley". The Information. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Martin, Iain. "How Underage Creators Threatened Lucy Guo's OnlyFans Rival Passes". Forbes. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Bhaimiya, Sawdah (August 31, 2025). "Billionaire founder Lucy Guo first made money as a kid on the playground". CNBC. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ Ba, Fabienne. "Who is Lucy Guo, the world's youngest billionaire?". MSN. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c Muppidi, Sri (August 23, 2024). "Lucy Guo's second act: After the 29-year-old left Scale AI, she has the 'itch to build' something new". Business Insider. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ Thier, Jane. "Multimillionaire Lucy Guo's only regret: Investing in 'every startup that's gone to zero'". Fortune Europe. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Bowman, Wendy (September 20, 2024). "A 29-Year-Old Tech Tycoon Snaps Up a $4.2 Million Designer Abode in L.A." Robb Report. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ "Who is Lucy Guo, second richest self-made woman under 40 after Kylie Jenner?". South China Morning Post. June 20, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ Powers, Jacquelynn (May 21, 2022). "How Lucy Guo conquered tech and became Miami's No. 1 party girl". New York Post. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ Megía, Carlos (June 10, 2022). "Alexandr Wang is the new youngest self-made billionaire". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Bhaimiya, Sawdah (August 23, 2025). "Inside billionaire Lucy Guo's intense daily routine: 5:30 a.m. wake-ups, double gym sessions, and no lunch breaks". CNBC. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ Dolan, Kerry A. (April 17, 2025). "This AI Founder Has Unseated Taylor Swift As The World's Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire". Forbes. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ "The youngest self-made female billionaire thinks you should take more risks". Newsweek. July 30, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Cannella, Cara (March 10, 2026). "The Only Unicorns That Are Truly Rare? Female Billionaires". Inc. Archived from the original on March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ a b c Braun, Sara (April 18, 2025). "A 30-year-old AI founder who followed the FIRE movement to build wealth is now the youngest self-made woman billionaire". Fortune. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Rachel (March 16, 2018). "You can now create a shareable dating resume so anyone can apply to date you". Mashable. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ "Who is Lucy Guo? Meet the youngest self-made female billionaire who surpassed Taylor Swift". MSN. August 6, 2025. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
- ^ a b Jones, Rachyl. "Exclusive: 29-year-old self-made millionaire Lucy Guo follows up her unicorn Scale AI with a $40 million Series A for new creator economy venture, Passes". Fortune. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Thier, Jane. "Multimillionaire Lucy Guo's only regret: Investing in 'every startup that's gone to zero'". Fortune Europe. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Harmon, Grace (March 25, 2024). "Passes: Bypassing the Brands". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ Gagne, Yasmin (October 30, 2025). "AI made her a billionaire. Now she's using it to help creators maximize their earnings". Fast Company. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ^ Silberling, Amanda (July 14, 2023). "Passes acquired Fanhouse, but some creators are apprehensive". TechCrunch.
- ^ Jones, Rachyl. "Exclusive: 29-year-old self-made millionaire Lucy Guo follows up her unicorn Scale AI with a $40 million Series A for new creator economy venture, Passes". Fortune. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (December 1, 2023). "Blac Chyna, After Quitting OnlyFans, Joins 'Female Empowerment' Subscription Platform Passes Where Adult Content Is Banned". Variety. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Bowman, Wendy (September 20, 2024). "A 29-Year-Old Tech Tycoon Snaps Up a $4.2 Million Designer Abode in L.A." Robb Report. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Vaziri, Aidin (April 23, 2025). "Lucy Guo on surpassing Taylor Swift, building a billion-dollar fortune". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ "LA500 2024: Lucy Guo". Los Angeles Business Journal. June 3, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ DeLuca, Alex. "Tech Bros, Exotic Animals: HOA Pissed After Silicon Valley Transplant's Wild Party". Miami New Times. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
- ^ "Party poopers? Techie Lucy Guo's wild jamboree at One Thousand Museum riles condo association". The Real Deal. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
- ^ Bowman, Wendy (September 20, 2024). "A 29-Year-Old Tech Tycoon Snaps Up a $4.2 Million Designer Abode in L.A." Robb Report. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Clarke, Katherine. "Exclusive | Billionaire AI Co-Founder Lucy Guo Pays Nearly $30 Million for L.A. Spec House". WSJ. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
- ^ Royle, Orianna Rosa. "The youngest self made billionaire on the planet still shops at Shein and pulls up to work in a Honda Civic: 'Act broke, stay rich,' Lucy Guo says". Fortune. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
External links
- "Lucy Guo profile". Forbes. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.