Lucy Guo attends her celebration referred to as ‘Lucypalooza’ in 2023, hosted by Le Bon Argent by Floyd Mayweather.
Gonzalo Marroquin | Getty Images
Thirty-year-old Lucy Guo could be the world’s youngest feminine billionaire, however she’s all the time on the hunt for a great deal.
The California-based serial entrepreneur’s net worth soared to $1.3 billion in April, in accordance with Forbes. Her first startup, Scale AI, just lately wrapped up a take care of tech large Meta, bringing the agency’s valuation to $25 billion.
Guo left Scale AI in 2018, however held on to a stake price just below 5% which has now ballooned to $1.25 billion. Three years in the past, she based content material creator monetization platform Passes, the place she continues to work.
“Honestly, I still feel the same as that little girl, like my life pre-money and post-money, it hasn’t really changed that much,” Guo informed CNBC Make It. “I still find deals like I pretty much only order buy-one-get-one-free on Uber Eats.”
Famously frugal Guo has shared tales on-line about skateboarding to work and even reserving faux flights on the airport, solely to cancel them later, so she may eat at no cost within the Amex lounge.
“I’m frugal at some things and I spend more on other things,” she mentioned. “I ride Uber X’s everywhere. I think my friends get really frustrated when I order an Uber X to the club, because they’re like ‘Lucy, what are you doing?'”
Guo recalled staying at a resort in Europe just lately, craving a currywurst and making an attempt to get the most affordable worth on it.
“In my hotel, it was like 20 euros. On Uber Eats, it was like four euros. So I got it on Uber Eats instead,” she mentioned.
Still, Guo is not any stranger to spending on lavish experiences and gadgets, and a few issues are price forking out on greater than others.
Ferraris, personal jets and a mansion
Guo has constructed up a property portfolio through the years, however she’s all the time trying to trim down prices even when she’s spending hundreds of thousands.
She just lately bought a newly constructed mansion in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills, overlooking the Sunset Strip, for practically $30 million.
“When I bought my house, I did spend a lot of money on my house, but did I make sure I got a good deal? Yes, because, from what I heard at least, the developer actually lost money on my house. It went from like, $44 million to $29.5 million, which is a great deal in my head,” she mentioned.
The property boasts a cantilevered glass lounge, an infinity pool with a spa, a sunken fireplace pit, and a 5,000 sq. foot backyard, in accordance with the property listing.
Guo’s $30 million mansion within the Hollywood Hills.
Paul Barnaby
The younger billionaire additionally owns a condo in Florida, which she purchased for $6.7 million in 2021, in addition to one other farmhouse-style dwelling in L.A., which she secured at $4.2 million in 2024.
“I generally like appreciating assets, and I think this is something that will appreciate; not all properties will appreciate. It’s a single-family house, it comes with a lot of land. The [L.A.] fires just happened, so I think everything’s on a discount,” Guo mentioned.
Guo mentioned there’s much less demand for bigger houses now, so it is simpler to barter down and never lose out, if she decides to resell sooner or later.
She additionally likes to spend money on comforts similar to a non-public jet to skip strains on the airport, however some purchases are pure want achievement.
“I really have an ick for depreciating assets, but I did splurge on one, and that would probably be my Ferrari,” she added. Guo’s luxurious sports activities automobile is a classic rose coloration.
“It’s like one in 10 or something in the world. They pitched it really hard and I was like, ‘oh, it’s pretty. Sure. I didn’t even think about it,” she mentioned.
Guo splurged on a classic rose Ferrari.
Passes
In February, a category motion lawsuit was filed towards Guo and her firm Passes, claiming that she allegedly distributed baby sexual abuse materials on the platform to paying subscribers.
“This lawsuit is a shakedown and part of an orchestrated attempt to defame Passes and Ms. Guo, and these disturbing claims have no basis in reality,” a spokesperson for Passes mentioned in an announcement.
“As explained in the motion to dismiss filed on April 28, Ms. Guo and Passes categorically reject the baseless allegations made against them in the lawsuit, which was only filed against them after they rejected a $15 million payment demand.”
Clark Smith Villazor, the New York-based litigation agency that introduced the lawsuit towards Passes, has but to reply to CNBC’s request for remark.
Millionaires vs. billionaires
Guo mentioned there is a distinction between some millionaires and billionaires, as the previous will usually attempt to exhibit how a lot money they’ve.
“Sometimes you see people will try to overcompensate to show they have more than they actually have and I’ve definitely seen people overcompensate and splurge more than they should to try to make themselves look wealthier than they are,” she mentioned.
“Let’s say you’re worth a few million, and you hang out with people worth billions, at least, from what I’ve seen from an outside perspective, they spend a lot more, and they’re almost living to their every dollar to be able to blend in.”
Guo describes herself as a “minimalist” and leans on the facet of the quiet luxury pattern. Most of her garments are unbranded and $10 a bit, she mentioned. Occasionally, she’ll throw on a pleasant piece of bijou if she’s going to an occasion.
“My daily life is very quiet,” she added.