In April 2025, Lucy Guo made headlines as the youngest female self-made billionaire, a title she earned after Meta shelled out a jaw-dropping $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI. This game-changing company, which Lucy co-founded with Alexandr Wang back in 2016, specializes in building infrastructure and software for AI applications. Despite parting ways with the company in 2018 due to disagreements, Guo smartly held onto her 5% stake, watching its value soar following Meta's investment.
Fast forward to 2022, and Lucy was back in the entrepreneurial arena with Passes, a trailblazing platform designed to help creators monetize their social media clout. Offering everything from exclusive product releases to private pay-by-the-minute phone calls, Passes has become a lucrative venture, raising $49 million by February. Guo proudly shares that Passes has already paid out nine figures to creators, proving its profitability despite some legal hurdles.
“I wanted to create a platform where creators could monetize their brand. Creators have such super fans that there’s no customer acquisition cost when it comes to marketing a product, which is unique,” Guo explained.
Of course, success doesn't come without its challenges. In 2024, Passes found itself in a legal tangle with rival platform Fanfix, facing allegations of anti-competitive practices. The company is also embroiled in a class-action lawsuit concerning the distribution of child pornography. Nonetheless, Guo remains undeterred, focusing on the unique offerings of Passes that set it apart from platforms like Patreon or OnlyFans.
Guo highlights that Passes' strength lies in its variety of monetization options, including paid livestreams and merchandise sales, along with a push into the fintech space with offerings like health insurance. She candidly states that while OnlyFans is a different kind of platform, Passes offers more earnings potential for creators who seek diverse ways to engage and profit.
Guo envisions Passes not just as a platform for engagement, but as a tool for creators to harness AI for boosting their earning potential and managing their wealth. She emphasizes that, unlike Hollywood’s typical cash-centric mindset, equity is the key to long-term financial success for creators. "Equity is more important than up-front cash," Guo asserts, highlighting her commitment to building generational wealth for creators.