HANOI (VNExpress/Vietnam News): Lucy Guo, the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire and cofounder of AI firm Scale AI, believes wanting a strict work-life balance could be a sign that someone is in the wrong job.

In an interview with Fortune magazine, the 28-year-old said she does not see her job as work in the traditional sense. "I love doing my job," she said. "I would say that if you feel the need for work-life balance, maybe you’re not in the right work."

Her daily routine starts at 5:30 a.m. with two to three high-intensity workouts at a training bootcamp, followed by work from 9 a.m. until midnight.

"Some days, I am doing more marketing pushes. I’m talking to our PR, I’m doing podcasts, etc," she told Fortune. "Other days I am more product-focused... Reviewing designs, giving user experience feedback."

She eats lunch at her desk and never cooks, relying entirely on food delivery service UberEats, she said. Despite working up to 90 hours a week, Guo said she still finds one to two hours each day for family and friends. "You should always find time for that, regardless of how busy you are."

While younger generations increasingly prioritize work-life balance, Guo’s schedule reflects a growing norm among startup founders.

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan shares a similar view. "Work is life, life is work," he said on a recent podcast episode. Despite his demanding schedule, he stressed that family still comes first: "Whenever there’s a conflict, guess what? Family first. That’s it."

Saudi Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud, CEO of consulting firm Culture House, echoed the mindset. "I’m always working 24/7 I’m a workaholic, so I don’t stop working because I enjoy what I do."

Guo, who dropped out of Carnegie Mellon University, later cofounded Scale AI with Alexandr Wang, now the world’s youngest self-made billionaire with a net worth estimated at $3.6 billion, according to Forbes.

After leaving the company in 2018, she retained a 5% stake, which is now worth an estimated $1.2 billion following Scale’s valuation surge to US$25 billion in 2025, reported by Entrepreneur magazine. S

he is now CEO of Passes, a platform that helps digital creators monetise their content. -- VNExpress/Vietnam News