There’s a new billionaire on the block, and she didn’t get there with a sold-out stadium tour — she did it with artificial intelligence, venture capital, and an unshakable instinct for innovation.
Lucy Guo, a tech entrepreneur with a flair for high-risk, high-reward decisions, has officially been crowned the youngest self-made woman billionaire, according to Forbes’ 2025 rankings. At just 30 years old, Guo’s estimated net worth has hit $1.25 billion, edging out former titleholder and global pop juggernaut Taylor Swift.
So, how did she do it?
The short answer: AI, equity, and big bets.
Guo co-founded Scale AI in 2016 when she was just 21, teaming up with now-CEO Alexandr Wang. The company, which helps train machine learning models with high-quality data labeling, has become a foundational player in the AI infrastructure race. With the AI industry exploding in value, Scale AI is now worth a jaw-dropping $25 billion, and Guo still owns a nearly 5% stake — despite leaving the company back in 2018.
That exit, due to a reported falling out with Wang, might have seemed like a career derailment at the time — but it turned out to be a billionaire-making move. Guo kept her shares, and as AI soared, so did her net worth.
“I don’t really think about it much; it’s a bit wild. Too bad it’s all on paper, haha,” Guo texted Forbes, downplaying the moment with trademark tech-founder nonchalance.
But Guo’s story doesn’t stop at Scale. Since leaving, she’s kept her entrepreneurial engine running. She launched Passes, a platform aimed at empowering digital creators (think Patreon with more tech muscle), and Backend Capital, a venture firm focused on investing in early-stage startups — particularly those flying under the radar. Both ventures have added weight to her growing financial empire and cemented her place as a rising mogul in the tech world.
Her ascension represents a larger cultural shift: the era of the tech-built billionaire. Where past years saw the likes of Swift, Kylie Jenner, and Rihanna topping wealth charts thanks to music, beauty, and fashion, Guo’s climb signals that software and AI are the new pathways to staggering wealth — especially for women.
Meanwhile, Swift isn’t exactly crying in her penthouse. Her Eras Tour continues to rake in record-shattering revenue, and she remains one of the most successful entertainers in history. But Guo’s surge ahead of her is notable for its quiet power play — no glitter, no Grammys, just grit, code, and capital.
So while Swift may still be the cultural force of a generation, Guo is showing that billion-dollar dreams are now being coded in Python, not performed in sequins.
