Tech’s Billion-Dollar Women: Breaking Records and Barriers
The most notable rise this year is Lucy Guo, who became the youngest self-made female billionaire in America at age 30. After co-founding Scale AI and launching creator economy platform Passes, she has carved out a new chapter in tech wealth. Similarly, Daniela Amodei, co-founder of AI safety startup Anthropic, now commands a $1.2 billion fortune — reflecting the rising value placed on responsible AI.
Yet, it’s not just newcomers. Long-standing tech executives like Jayshree Ullal, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Arista Networks, Lisa Su, Chair & CEO at AMD, and Sheryl Sandberg, former COO at Meta, remain at the top, having helped transform their companies into global powerhouses. Their continued presence underscores that enduring impact and visionary leadership are equally as important as disruptive innovation.
Women in Tech: A Rising Force in the Self-Made Billionaire Club
According to Forbes, this year’s self-made women list has more tech names than ever before — a reflection of how the sector is becoming a key pathway to wealth creation for women. Their journeys are diverse: some bootstrapped, others scaled with venture capital; some built unicorn startups, others navigated corporate giants to the C-suite. But what unites them is this — they forged their own paths.
These success stories offer inspiration not only to current founders and executives but to the next generation of women considering a future in STEM. They remind us that inclusion isn’t just good ethics — it’s good business.
Top Self-Made Women in Tech (2025)
| Rank | Name | Net Worth | Age | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Judy Faulkner | $7.8 B | 81 | Healthcare software | Wisconsin |
| 5 | Thai Lee | $6.1 B | 66 | IT provider | Texas |
| 8 | Jayshree Ullal | $4.4 B | 64 | Computer networking | California |
| 11 | Meg Whitman | $3.6 B | 68 | eBay | California |
| 14 | Weili Dai | $2.9 B | 63 | Semiconductors | Nevada |
| 15 | Safra Catz | $2.6 B | 63 | Software | Florida |
| 17 | Sheryl Sandberg | $2.3 B | 55 | California | |
| 18 | Susan Ocampo | $2.0 B | 67 | Semiconductors | Hawaii |
| 21 | Michelle Zatlyn | $1.6 B | 45 | Cybersecurity | California |
| 23 | Shuo Wang | $1.5 B | 36 | HR software | Washington |
| 26 | Lucy Guo | $1.3 B | 30 | Artificial intelligence | California |
| 28 | Daniela Amodei | $1.2 B | 37 | Artificial intelligence | California |
| 28 | Gwynne Shotwell | $1.2 B | 61 | SpaceX | Texas |
| 35 | Neerja Sethi | $1.0 B | 70 | IT consulting | Florida |
| 39 | Marissa Mayer | $980 M | 50 | Google, Yahoo | California |
| 43 | Lisa Su | $820 M | 55 | Semiconductors | Texas |
| 48 | Pamela M. Lopker | $700 M | 70 | Software | Arizona |
| 54 | Colette Kress | $650 M | 57 | Nvidia | California |
| 61 | Neha Narkhede | $580 M | 40 | Software | California |
| 71 | Ruth Porat | $510 M | 67 | California | |
| 77 | Sara Liu | $460 M | 63 | Computer hardware | California |
| 82 | Christina Cacioppo | $440 M | 37 | Software | California |
| 89 | Therese Tucker | $400 M | 63 | Software | California |
| 94 | Daphne Koller | $380 M | 56 | Software | California |
| 97 | Debora Shoquist | $360 M | 70 | Nvidia | California |
The Road Ahead: From Silicon Ceiling to Silicon Success
While the list is worth celebrating, it also reflects how rare this level of success remains — especially when compared to the number of men in tech who reach billionaire status. Only 25 women in tech made the Forbes cut this year out of 100, and most are still located in just a handful of states like California and Texas.
To accelerate progress, we need to:
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Invest in women-led tech ventures with the same urgency and scale as male-founded counterparts
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Create pathways to power through mentorship, sponsorship, and board readiness programs
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Reimagine hiring and promotion with inclusive policies that close pay gaps and remove systemic bias
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Amplify visibility of underrepresented women in tech — from coding bootcamps to the C-suite
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Hold institutions accountable for stronger representation at the top, with clear metrics and consequences
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Fund innovation that reflects humanity, ensuring women shape the future of AI, cybersecurity, and beyond
As I explore in my recent #1 New Release Chief in Tech (Wiley, 2025), systemic barriers—such as lack of visibility, unequal access to capital, and the absence of strong mentorship networks—still limit how far and fast women can rise in the tech industry. But the stories in this year's Forbes list prove that these barriers are being dismantled. When women have access to opportunity, they don’t just break ceilings—they build new foundations.
At WomenTech Network, we believe that the future of technology must be inclusive. And that future is not far away — it’s being built right now by the women on this list and the many more still rising.
🔗 Want to join the movement? Join our Chief in Tech Summit, apply to speak at our next event, or nominate an inspiring leader for our annual awards and follow our global WomenTech community,
📚 Source: Forbes 2025 Self-Made Women List