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Benzinga
Benzinga
Erica Kollmann

5 Things To Know About 30-Year Old Scale AI Co-Founder Lucy Guo

Scale AI

1. She's the Youngest Self-Made Female Billionaire in the World

At just 30 years old, Lucy Guo has surpassed Taylor Swift to become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire. Her net worth, estimated at around $1.3 billion, is largely due to her early stake in Scale AI.

Guo’s wealth surged following a $14 billion investment in Scale AI from Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in June.

Read More: Meta Reportedly Tried To Buy AI Video Startup Runway Before $14 Billion Scale AI Bet: Report

2. She Dropped Out of College

Guo attended Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied computer science and human-computer interaction.

She dropped out of college in 2014 after being awarded the prestigious Thiel Fellowship, which offers young entrepreneurs $100,000 to leave college and build startups. This move set her on a fast track to Silicon Valley.

"In tech, it was almost a cool thing to drop out because all these people starting large companies were dropouts," Guo told the New York Post.

"So, when I had the opportunity too, I was like, ‘Why not? What's my worst-case scenario?' I had already been offered jobs so I knew I would land somewhere, plus save two years of tuition," she said.

3. Scale AI and Beyond: A Career of Bold Moves

After internships at Facebook and Snapchat (where she was the company's first female designer), Guo joined Quora and met Alexandr Wang. The pair later co-founded Scale AI in 2016.

Though Guo was fired from Scale AI in 2018, she retained a 5% stake in the company, which fueled her fortune. She later founded Passes, a platform for creators, and Backend Capital, a venture fund for early-stage startups.

4. She Loves to Party

The NY Post named Guo Miami’s Number One Party Girl in 2022 after an interview where she told the Post that she had been “scolded by the HOA” of the luxury condo building she lived in after throwing several loud parties.

Guo said one party even included guests like a snake and a lemur she rented from the Zoological Wildlife Foundation.

"The lemur was really well behaved," Guo added. "It was very friendly and didn't get freaked out by the noise and people. In fact, it was pretty much hugging and licking everyone."

5. She Drives a Honda Civic and Shops at SHEIN

Despite being the youngest self-made female billionaire, Guo told Fortune that she still pinches pennies. In fact, the young billionaire drives a 2011 Honda Civic and shops at SHEIN.

‘Act broke, stay rich,' Guo said in the interview.

Read More:

Image: Shutterstock

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