Who is Lucy Guo?: Billionaire Scale AI Co-Founder Shares Her Daily Routine

August 28, 2025

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Why in the News?

Lucy Guo, the American entrepreneur who co-founded AI data-labelling startup Scale AI in 2016, has emerged as the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire after her retained stake in the company soared in value.

A former Carnegie Mellon University computer science student and Thiel Fellow, Guo previously worked at Facebook, Snapchat, and Quora before launching Scale AI with Alexandr Wang. She left the company in 2018 over differences in product vision and strategy, but kept her roughly 5% equity stake, which is now valued at more than $1.2 billion as Scale AI’s valuation climbs above $25 billion.

Who is Lucy Guo?

Childhood Shenanigans

Lucy Guo grew up in Fremont, California, in a family that valued education but also let her explore her own interests.

From a very young age, she loved computers and taught herself how to code. As a child, she even created bots for Neopets, a popular online pet game, and earned money by selling them to other players.

This showed her early talent for both technology and business. In high school, she took part in coding competitions and kept experimenting with new projects.

Her curiosity and passion for building things eventually led her to study computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, though she later dropped out after winning the Thiel Fellowship to focus fully on startups.

Leaving Scale AI

Lucy Guo co-founded Scale AI in 2016 alongside Alexandr Wang. The company focuses on providing high-quality training data for artificial intelligence, helping AI systems learn and improve.

Guo brought her technical expertise and entrepreneurial experience from working at Facebook, Snapchat, and Quora, contributing significantly to the company’s early growth and infrastructure.

The question everyone asked: Why did she leave ScaleAI?

It was mainly due to differences in product vision and the company’s strategic roadmap with co-founder Alexandr Wang.

Despite stepping away from day-to-day operations, she retained her ~5% equity stake, which later became the source of her billionaire status when Scale AI’s valuation soared above $25 billion.

Passes: A New Venture

After leaving Scale AI, Lucy Guo turned her focus to new entrepreneurial pursuits. She became the CEO of Passes, a company she co-founded, while also exploring investments and ventures in technology, design, and AI-related projects. Her strategy combines building new companies, investing in appreciating assets, and leveraging her expertise in AI infrastructure to identify opportunities in the tech space.

Routine That Lucy Guo Follows Religiously

Lucy Guo starts her day very early, around 5:30 a.m.. As soon as she wakes up, she heads to Barry’s Bootcamp, where she often does two back-to-back workout sessions. She says exercising in the morning helps her stay sharp and full of energy throughout the day.

By around 9 a.m., she begins her workday. Lucy is known for working extremely long hours — often until midnight or later, which adds up to 90 hours a week. She focuses her time on meetings, reviewing product ideas, checking design details, and guiding her teams. To save time, she usually skips lunch or eats while working, instead of taking long breaks.

Lucy also avoids wasting time on distractions like TV, TikTok, or social media. She believes these activities reduce productivity. Instead, she wants every hour to go toward something meaningful.

Lucy Guo’s Spending Habits

Frugal Daily Habits – Guo prefers inexpensive options for everyday needs, like using Uber Eats deals, choosing UberX rides, and sometimes even skateboarding to work to save money.
Minimalist Lifestyle – She embraces “quiet luxury,” often wearing unbranded clothes costing around $10 each, focusing on simplicity over flashy fashion.
Luxury Real Estate – Guo invests in high-value properties, including a $30 million Hollywood Hills mansion (bought for $14 million), a $6.7 million condo in Florida, and a $4.2 million Los Angeles farmhouse.
Collectible Assets – She owns unique, rare items like a vintage rose-colored Ferrari, reflecting her interest in appreciating and rare assets.
Balanced Spending Approach – Her habits combine careful cost-saving in daily life with strategic investments in assets that grow in value over time.

[Credits for header image: Deccan Chronicles
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