Scale AI's billionaire founder drives a Honda Civic and shops at Shein — Lucy Guo says it's how you stay rich
Lucy Guo, the youngest self-made female billionaire and co-founder of Scale AI, lives a surprisingly frugal life despite her $1.2 billion fortune. Eschewing lavish displays of wealth, she prefers practical choices like an old Honda Civic and shopping at Shein. Guo believes true billionaires don't need to flaunt their wealth, as they've already proven themselves.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Lucy Guo: A Billionaire Who Hates Wasting Money
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Millionaires Show Off, Billionaires Don't Need To, Says Lucy Guo
FAQs
Even though Lucy Guo is the youngest self-made female billionaire, you won't catch her living like it. The 30-year-old tech entrepreneur co-founded the $25 billion AI startup Scale AI and is one of just five female billionaires under 40, as per Forbes's latest ranking, yet her daily life looks more like that of an average American, as per a report.Guo told Fortune in a recent interview, 'I don't like wasting money,' as quoted in the report. She means it literally: her assistant drives her around in an old Honda Civic, she wears mostly free clothes or shops from Shein, and she still prefers to avail Uber Eats' buy-one-get-one-free deals, according to Fortune.Guo's estimated $1.2 billion fortune comes from her 5% stake in Scale AI, a company she left back in 2018 but helped build from the ground up, as per the report. At present, she is the founder and CEO of the creator community platform Passes, according to Fortune.ALSO READ: Elon Musk slams his own AI chatbot Grok after it spreads bizarre rumor about him stealing Stephen Miller's wife She splurges occasionally, like flying business class for a 16-hour journey or buying a designer dress for special events—but insists that day-to-day, she spends her money frugally, as per the report. The American entrepreneur revealed that, 'But in terms of like daily life, my assistant just drives me in a pretty old Honda Civic. I don't care,' quoted Fortune.Guo quoted a saying she came across recently, 'It's like, act broke, stay rich,' as per Fortune.The billionaire founder pointed out that, 'Who you see typically wasting money on designer clothes, a nice car, et cetera, they're technically in the millionaire range,' adding, 'All their friends are multimillionaires or billionaires, and they feel a little bit insecure, so they feel the need to be flashy to show other people, Look, I'm successful," as quoted in the report.Guo explained that, 'I do think that this is actually something that I personally went through, and I think a lot of people go through when you're in that middle ground of you're successful, but not as successful as you want to be," quoted Fortune.She went on to say, 'And I think the reason most billionaires dress in a T-shirt, jeans, hoodies is that they can. They don't need to be in the suit 24/7 because they're done proving themselves to the rest of the world. The rest of the world is just sucking up to them,' adding, 'And I think that's kind of how I like feel, where I'm past that hump. I don't really have to prove myself to anyone," quoted Fortune.The tech entrepreneur also highlighted that, 'No one's going to look at me and point at me like, 'Ha ha, she's so broke' when I'm pulling up in a Honda Civic because whatever, it doesn't matter,' as quoted in the report.Yes. She's worth about $1.2 billion due to her 5% stake in Scale AI.She simply doesn't care about showing off and doesn't want to waste money to prove to people around her that she is rich.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
38 minutes ago
- The Print
Trump says ‘deal is done', China to remove curbs on exports of critical minerals to US
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick had earlier late Tuesday evening said that the two sides had agreed to put the 'meat on the bones' on the framework agreed to last month in Geneva to eventually reduce the reciprocal tariffs imposed by Washington DC and Beijing on one another. The deal will also allow Chinese students continued access to elite American universities, following threats from the Trump administration to curb their admissions. New Delhi: US President Donald Trump Wednesday said a 'deal' with China is done and relations between the two largest economies are 'excellent'. This deal will allow for the export of critical minerals from Beijing to Washington DC following two days of intense negotiations between their respective officials in London. The bilateral tariffs imposed on imports to the US from China crossed 100 percent on goods, following Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs' first announced on 2 April. The tit-for-tat trade war had led to both governments agreeing to a framework to reduce tariffs last month. Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.11.25 08:04 AM EST — Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 11, 2025 However, China continued to impose curbs on the exports of critical minerals and technologies to the US, which led to Washington imposing its own curbs on exports of certain goods such as semiconductors to Beijing. The deal struck in London will see the withdrawal of these curbs in a 'balanced way' according to Lutnick. However, the details of the deal have yet to be made public. Minutes after his first statement, Trump in another post on the social media platform added: 'President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!' The current round of talks in London came after Trump and the President of China Xi Jinping held a call last week. 'The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns,' Xi is said to have told Trump during the call, according to the Chinese readout. The 90-minute call between the two leaders last week was the first between the two since Trump returned to the White House in January, reported The New York Times. 'The two sides reached principled agreement on implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone call on June 5 and the framework of measures to consolidate the outcomes of the economic and trade talks in Geneva, and made new progress in addressing each other's economic and trade concerns,' the Chinese readout of the talks in London said, as published by Xinhua. The US delegation consisted of Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. China was represented by Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is in charge of economic policy. The deal, if agreed to by both leaders, could see some normalisation in the export of critical minerals from China to the US, which is a key part of the manufacturing of most modern technologies. After Trump's original tariffs on China touched 145 per cent a few months ago, Beijing instituted curbs on the exports of such goods, given its strong hold on the supply of critical minerals and magnets in the global market. The US in retaliation also highlighted a potential ban of Chinese students from studying at American universities. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: Trump's flip-flop to China's aggression—What's bringing India and Australia closer
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Alex Cooper net worth: Inside the ‘Call Her Daddy' host's businesses, brand deals and real estate
Alex Cooper has become one of the most successful creators in the digital media world. She first gained attention in 2018 when she launched the Call Her Daddy podcast with her roommate Sofia Franklyn under Barstool Sports. In 2021, Cooper went solo after signing a $60 million deal with Spotify. Since then, she's hosted some of the biggest names in pop culture, including Miley Cyrus, Hailey Bieber, and Kamala Harris. In 2023, Cooper and her husband Matt Kaplan launched The Unwell Network, which features shows like Pretty Lonesome and Boyfriend Material. In 2024, Cooper was named to Forbes' Top Creators list, recognizing her as one of the top earners in the content world. During an interview with PEOPLE that December, she shared business advice for new entrepreneurs: "Don't try to do a million things at once," she said. "If you focus on the one thing that you are educated on, and you are essentially a savant in, then just focus on that and trust your gut because trying to appease everyone is not going to get you anywhere." "I think sticking to one idea and making it the main thing is how I've succeeded with Call Her Daddy. For almost five years, I did nothing but Call Her Daddy, and I just grinded. I didn't take brand deals, I didn't put my face next to other products — I just focused on the main thing." Cooper's journey is now featured in a two-part docuseries, Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 8 and began streaming on Hulu on June 10. Also Read: Alex Cooper reveals she 'had a Zoom call with' Donald Trump's team about… Though her exact net worth is not confirmed, Forbes reported that Cooper made $22 million in 2024 alone. Much of that income came from her work on Call Her Daddy, including her landmark deals with Spotify and SiriusXM. Her $60 million Spotify deal in 2021 was one of the largest ever for a podcast at the time. In August 2024, she signed an even bigger three-year deal with SiriusXM worth $125 million. "The brand had only grown since being at Spotify," Cooper told Forbes. "I knew the money would be there. The deal was more about what other things people can give Call Her Daddy and Unwell that will help us grow." Cooper has also earned money from merchandise sales. In 2020, she sold $800,000 worth of branded items in just three days. Over the years, Cooper has partnered with major brands such as Skims and Jimmy Choo. In 2024, she joined NBC's Peacock as a host for the Paris Olympic Games series Watch with Alex Cooper. Her company's drink line, Drink Unwell, became the official hydration sponsor of the National Women's Soccer League in 2025. Despite getting many offers, Cooper is selective. On the Boyfriend Material podcast in April 2025, she explained why she once turned down a large brand deal: "I just like didn't believe in putting my face next to it," she said. "I think it's important to say no to s---, because then you just lose your f------ credibility." Though she now earns millions, Cooper told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024 that she never started her podcast for the money. "Don't get me wrong, it is life-changing. You want to make money off the product that you're spending so much time on," she said. "But I started making content when I was 5 years old. I wasn't hoping for a paycheck. I just wanted my friends to feel something from the videos I was showing them." After signing her SiriusXM deal, she bought her parents a house in late 2024. "I literally wouldn't be here without them," she said. "Buying them a house is like the least I could f------ do, because they sacrificed financially, emotionally. They sacrificed with my other siblings in moments for me. So it feels really, really, really f------ insane and incredible that I get to do this." Cooper told The Hollywood Reporter that most of her money goes back into her business or is saved. Still, she said she occasionally splurges on cozy clothes. She does buy herself "a lot of UGGS and sweatpants," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2025.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Disney, Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement
Last Updated: New York, Jun 11 (AP) Disney and Universal have filed a copyright lawsuit against popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney on Wednesday, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have enter the legal battle over generative AI. Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute 'endless unauthorized copies" of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars and the Minions from Despicable Me. 'Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing," the companies state in the complaint. The studios also claimed the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation. Midjourney could not immediately be reached for comment. The small startup is one of a crop of research labs enabling people to experiment with AI-generated visuals and text. Major AI developers don't typically disclose their data sources but have argued that taking troves of publicly accessible online text, images and other media to train their AI systems is protected by the 'fair use" doctrine of American copyright law. (AP) GSP
