Taylor Swift unseated as world’s youngest self-made female billionaire
Taylor Swift unseated as world’s youngest self-made female billionaire
In June 2025, Taylor Swift was unseated as the world's youngest self-made female billionaire by Lucy Guo, a 30-year-old tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Scale AI. Guo's ascent marks a significant shift in the landscape of female billionaires, highlighting the growing influence of the tech industry.
Lucy Guo: From Child Prodigy to Tech Billionaire
Born in 1994 in Fremont, California, to Chinese immigrant parents, Lucy Guo exhibited entrepreneurial prowess from a young age. She began coding in elementary school and monetized her skills by developing bots for online games like Neopets. Guo attended Carnegie Mellon University but dropped out in 2014 after receiving a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship, which encourages young entrepreneurs to pursue ventures outside traditional academia .
Guo's early career included internships and roles at tech companies such as Facebook, Quora, and Snapchat, where she became the first female product designer. In 2016, she co-founded Scale AI with Alexandr Wang. Initially conceived as a healthcare platform, Scale AI evolved into a data-labeling company critical for training AI systems. Despite leaving the company in 2018 due to disagreements, Guo retained a nearly 5% stake. As of 2025, Scale AI is valued at $25 billion, making her stake worth approximately $1.2 billion .
Diversifying Ventures: Passes and Beyond
After her departure from Scale AI, Guo founded Passes, a content creation platform likened to a family-friendly OnlyFans. The platform enables influencers and celebrities to monetize exclusive content. Passes has attracted significant investment, raising $40 million, and features prominent figures like Shaquille O’Neal and DJ Kygo .
Guo's lifestyle has garnered media attention, with reports highlighting her lavish parties and luxury real estate acquisitions in Los Angeles and Miami. Despite this, she maintains a focus on supporting creators and building sustainable, stakeholder-focused companies .
Taylor Swift: A Musical Powerhouse
Taylor Swift, 35, became a self-made billionaire in October 2023, primarily through her music career. She is recognized as the first musician to achieve billionaire status solely based on her songs and performances. As of June 2025, Forbes estimates her net worth at $1.6 billion, making her the richest female musician globally .
Swift's financial success stems from her extensive catalog of music, lucrative tours, and strategic business ventures. Her real estate portfolio, valued at $150 million, includes properties in Nashville, New York City, Los Angeles, and Rhode Island.
The Broader Landscape of Young Female Billionaires
The title of the youngest self-made female billionaire has seen several holders in recent years. Selena Gomez was reported to have achieved billionaire status in September 2024, primarily due to her cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty. However, Forbes later revised her net worth to $700 million . Similarly, Kylie Jenner's billionaire status was revoked by Forbes due to financial discrepancies, with her net worth now estimated at $700 million.
Lucy Guo's achievement is notable not only for her age but also for her success in the tech industry, a field where female billionaires are less common. Her story underscores the potential for innovation and entrepreneurship to redefine traditional paths to wealth.
Conclusion
Lucy Guo's rise to become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire exemplifies the dynamic nature of wealth creation in the modern era. Her journey from a coding prodigy to a tech mogul reflects the opportunities available in the technology sector for those with vision and determination. While Taylor Swift continues to dominate the music industry financially, Guo's ascent highlights the diverse avenues through which women are achieving significant financial success.
As the landscape of female billionaires evolves, stories like Guo's serve as inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs, illustrating that with innovation and resilience, new frontiers of success are attainable.
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