How famously frugal billionaire Lucy Guo spends money

Thirty-year-old Lucy Guo might be the world’s youngest female billionaire, but she’s always on the hunt for a good deal.

The California-based serial entrepreneur’s net worth soared to $1.3 billion in April, according to Forbes. Her first startup, Scale AI, recently wrapped up a deal with tech giant Meta, bringing the firm’s valuation to $25 billion.

Guo left Scale AI in 2018, but held on to a stake worth just under 5% which has now ballooned to $1.25 billion. Three years ago, she founded content creator monetization platform Passes, where 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 told 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 stories online about skateboarding to work and even booking fake flights at the airport, only to cancel them later, so she could eat for free in the Amex lounge.

“I’m frugal at some things and I spend more on other things,” she said. “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 hotel in Europe recently, craving a currywurst and trying to get the cheapest price 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 said.

Still, Guo is no stranger to spending on lavish experiences and items, and some things are worth splashing out on more than others.

Guo has built up a property portfolio over the years, but she’s always looking to trim down costs even when she’s spending millions.

She recently bought a newly constructed mansion in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills, overlooking the Sunset Strip, for nearly $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 said.

The property boasts a cantilevered glass living room, an infinity pool with a spa, a sunken fire pit, and a 5,000 square foot garden, according to the property listing.

The young billionaire also owns a condo in Florida, which she bought for $6.7 million in 2021, as well as another farmhouse-style home 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 said.

Guo said there’s less demand for larger homes now, so it’s easier to negotiate down and not lose out, if she decides to resell in the future.

She also likes to spend money on comforts such as a private jet to skip lines at the airport, but some purchases are pure wish fulfillment.

“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 luxury sports car is a vintage rose color.

“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 said.

In February, a class action lawsuit was filed against Guo and her company Passes, claiming that she allegedly distributed child sexual abuse material 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 said in a statement.

“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 firm that brought the lawsuit against Passes, has yet to respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Guo said there’s a distinction between some millionaires and billionaires, as the former will often try to show off how much money they have.

“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 said.

“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 side of the quiet luxury trend. Most of her clothes are unbranded and $10 a piece, she said. Occasionally, she’ll throw on a nice piece of jewelry if she’s going to an event.

“My daily life is very quiet,” she added.