Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the way people work, build companies and accumulate wealth, but its impact is proving sharply uneven. For a large section of young professionals entering the workforce, AI’s rise has triggered anxiety, particularly around the future of entry-level jobs that have traditionally served as the first rung on the career ladder.
At the same time, a much smaller group of young entrepreneurs is experiencing the opposite reality. For them, AI is not a disruptor but an accelerator, enabling extraordinary wealth creation at unprecedented speed. This contrast has become one of the defining features of the global tech economy in 2025.
AI-fuelled wealth creation accelerates
According to a Forbes analysis, more people under the age of 30 became self-made billionaires this year than at any point in history. In total, 13 entrepreneurs in their twenties joined the billionaire club, nearly double the previous annual record.
What stands out is not just the number, but the pace. Eleven of these founders crossed the billion-dollar mark in the final months of the year alone. Their rise was driven largely by late-stage funding rounds, as investors rushed to back AI-driven startups seen as category leaders.
For many founders, this meant a dramatic shift in circumstances. Years of working in relative obscurity were followed by a sudden leap to global prominence, with startup valuations soaring into the billions almost overnight. The traditional slow climb to scale has been replaced by rapid valuation jumps fuelled by capital and technology.
Why AI is compressing the path to billions
The current surge highlights how fundamentally wealth creation has changed. Unlike earlier industrial or tech booms, building a billion-dollar company no longer requires factories, large workforces or extensive physical infrastructure. AI allows small teams to generate massive value by scaling software globally at minimal marginal cost.
This compression of growth timelines has favoured digital-native founders who are fluent in coding, data and automation. AI is being used not just to build products, but to streamline hiring, fix technical problems and rapidly iterate ideas, allowing startups to move faster than ever before.
Luana Lopes Lara, the youngest female self-made billionaire under 30
Among this new generation, one story has drawn particular attention. Luana Lopes Lara has emerged as the youngest female self-made billionaire under 30, following the meteoric rise of Kalshi, a prediction market startup she co-founded.
Born in Brazil, Luana’s path to tech success was unconventional. She trained as a professional ballerina and performed across Europe before pivoting to engineering. She later studied at MIT, where she co-founded Kalshi alongside fellow student Tarek Mansour.
When Kalshi reached an $11 billion valuation this year, her transition from artist to tech billionaire became emblematic of the unpredictable routes now leading to success in the AI era.
The surge in young AI-driven wealth is widely seen as a signal that technology cycles are accelerating.
