Lucy Guo

Lucy Guo bulldozed her way through Silicon Valley.

At 21, Lucy co-founded Scale AI, a data-labeling company that would later help power self-driving cars, train ChatGPT, and analyze warzone satellite imagery.

Three years later, she was fired from the company she helped build.

Her response?

She held onto her stake, built something even bigger.

And by 30, she’d dethroned Taylor Swift on Forbes’ billionaire list.

Born in the Bay Area to Chinese immigrant parents, Lucy started hustling before she could drive.

Flipping Pokémon cards, coding Neopets bots, and building ad-heavy websites for pocket money.

By second grade, she was already making real income via PayPal.

She dropped out of Carnegie Mellon at 19 after winning a Thiel Fellowship, interned at Facebook and Snapchat, and joined Quora.

Where she met her Scale AI co-founder, Alexandr Wang.

Together, they built Scale during the AI boom.

But two years in, a clash over leadership style ended her time there.

“We had a difference of opinion. But I’m proud of what Scale has accomplished.”

After Scale, Lucy launched Backend Capital, backing breakout startups like Ramp.

But she wanted to build again.

In 2022, she founded Passes.

A subscription platform that would shake up the creator economy, signing celebrities like Olivia Dunne, DJ Kygo, and Shaquille O’Neal.

“I’m laser-focused on building Passes and creating a best-in-class product at the intersection of tech and the creator economy"

By 2025, Passes had raised $50M across three rounds, riding the wave of creator monetization.

But it hasn’t been all Coachella parties and headlines.

Passes has faced lawsuits and controversy around content moderation.

Lucy made her position clear: “At Passes, creators come first. But our partners, employees, and fans are treated with empathy and respect, always.”

Today, Lucy splits her time between scaling Passes, investing in female founders, DJing at her Hollywood HQ, and staying disciplined enough to finish 3000 Barry’s Bootcamp classes.

Her advice to young women sitting on a big idea?

“Just start. Don’t wait for permission. Find your people. Build.”