How does one become a billionaire, Lucy Guo? "Luck, timing, and hard work!" – and a bit of greed

The US-American founder gave an interview to a German news channel and talked about AI-designed "superbabies" and about not owning an expensive handbag

Until recently, it was Taylor Swift; now she's the world's youngest self-made billionaire. But somehow, that doesn't feel all that special, said Scale AI founder Lucy Guo in an interview with the news channel ntv . In general, her wealth doesn't seem to mean all that much. She still doesn't like spending money if she can avoid it, she told the reporter. And she doesn't own a single expensive handbag.

She also can't offer any specific tips on how to become so financially successful. "I think for me, it was a mixture of luck, timing, and hard work," says the American. And the will to constantly develop is also important. For example, she had a well-paid job at Snapchat. But if she had stayed there, she would never have co-founded Scale AI.

The San Francisco-based AI startup specializes in annotating and processing large amounts of data. This is essential for training and optimizing AI models. Customers include companies such as OpenAI, Uber, and the US military. Lucy Guo founded the company in 2016 together with Alexandr Wang.

In May 2025, Scale AI's valuation was estimated at $25 billion (approximately €21.91 billion). The new valuation also increases the wealth of the 30-year-old co-founder, who is currently valued at $1.3 billion (approximately € 1.14 billion).

Wang allegedly dismissed Guo due to disagreements over company management. Nevertheless, she retained a large portion of her shares – and continues to profit from them.

In an interview with ntv, the founder also discusses her vision of what AI will be capable of in the future . She considers brain chips and AI-designed "superbabies" conceivable. "But we must ensure that these technologies are accessible not only to a privileged minority – but to everyone."

Guo is one of the Peter Thiel Fellows: She dropped out of her double major at Carnegie Mellon University to accept a scholarship from the Thiel Foundation . Every year, tech investor Thiel awards not only money through his foundation, but also access to a network of founders, investors, scientists, and former fellows.

In return, the fellows commit to focusing full-time on their projects, companies, or ideas—and, for example, to dropping out of current degree programs. Critics fear that the program will entice young people to make risky decisions without fully understanding their consequences. Peter Thiel himself uses the fellowship to substantiate his fundamental criticism of universities and traditional institutions.