Guo shared her unconventional approach to money in a recent interview with CNBC, revealing that she has reserved flights and canceled them just to enjoy a free meal in an American Express lounge. “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,” she said. “I still find deals like I pretty much only order buy-one-get-one-free on Uber Eats.”
Guo also recalled an experience in Europe, where she craved a currywurst, a popular German street food. While the hotel charged 20 euros (US$25) for it, she opted to order it on Uber Eats for just four euros.
Guo’s everyday life also reflects her frugality. For transportation, her assistant drives her in a “pretty old” Honda Civic, or she uses UberX, the low-cost ride-hailing service. Her wardrobe consists primarily of $10 items from affordable brands like Shein.
Lucy Guo, the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire. Photo courtesy of Guo’s Instagram
However, Guo does occasionally indulge. For long flights, she opts for business class or, on rare occasions, a private jet to skip long airport lines. She also owns a rare vintage rose-colored Ferrari, which she considers a “splurge.”
Her real estate portfolio includes a $29.5 million home in Hollywood Hills, a $6.7 million condo in Florida, where she is a neighbor of football legend David Beckham, and a $4.2 million property in Los Angeles, according to Entrepreneur.
Guo, who co-founded data labeling firm Scale AI with Alexandr Wang, saw her net worth soar to $1.3 billion in April, according to Forbes. Although she left the company in 2018, she retains nearly 5% of Scale AI, which has contributed significantly to her wealth.
She attributed her values to her upbringing, saying that her Chinese immigrant parents were “incredibly frugal.” Guo carried this mindset into adulthood, trying to live as cheaply as possible until she made her first $10 million.
She believed she is one of the few billionaires who truly practices frugality. While others may claim to be frugal to avoid the “typical billionaire” image, Guo acknowledged that she, too, went through a flashy phase before realizing, “Why am I wasting my money on something that doesn’t matter?”