Scale AI's Co-Founder Says Those Seeking Work-Life Balance Are 'Not In The Right Work'

Scale AI’s billionaire co-founder Lucy Guo says anyone pining for work-life balance is likely "not in the right work," arguing 90-hour weeks are the new baseline for startup success.

What Happened: The 30-year-old co-founder and Passes CEO told Fortune she rises at 5:30 a.m., completes two to three Barry's Bootcamp sessions, then works until midnight, often policing her customer-support inbox with a self-imposed five-minute reply rule.

Guo's rejection of the 40-hour norm comes as venture investors trumpet China's "996" regimen as Silicon Valley's new competitive tempo. VC Harry Stebbings recently wrote that founders need "seven days a week" to win, while Index Ventures partner Martin Mignot declared, "Forget 9-to-5, 996 is the new startup standard." Guo agrees, saying her schedule "doesn't really feel like work… I love doing my job."

The Miami-based entrepreneur retains a nearly 5% stake in Scale AI, now valued at about $29 billion, making her the world's youngest self-made woman billionaire, according to Forbes. She now devotes most days to Passes, a creator-monetization platform that raised $40 million in Series A funding last year..

Guo insists even marathon weeks leave room for life. "I still find one to two hours for family and friends… You should always find time for that," she says. Her daily routine includes black coffee, "lunch al desko," design reviews and late-night QA checks on user feedback.

Why It Matters: Critics warn 996 culture fuels burnout, yet Guo's stance mirrors Big Tech veterans who say 60-plus hours are now table stakes. Google co-founder Sergey Brin recently told AI teams that "60 hours is the sweet spot," according to a leaked memo.

Shark Tank star and billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently dismissed the idea of work-life balance, claiming there’s “somebody working 24 hours a day to kick your a*s”. Zoom Communication Inc. ZM CEO Eric Yuan shares a similar view. Yuan, on a recent podcast, said, “There’s no way to balance. Work is life, life is work.”