Google alum becomes youngest Forbes 400 member with AI billionaire tag

Edwin Chen, a 37-year-old former data scientist at Google, Twitter, and Facebook, has become the youngest member of the Forbes 400 list with an estimated $18 billion fortune, amassed by founding Surge AI.

Chen’s company, which provides high-quality human-annotated data to tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, generated $1.2 billion in revenue in 2024 and reached an estimated valuation of $24 billion, all while remaining bootstrapped and profitable since its 2020 founding.

“I really do think that what we’re doing is so critical to all the AI models that without us, AGI just won’t happen,” stated Chen, who building Surge AI to solve the problem of obtaining quality human-labeled data at scale.

Technology firm employs over one million gig workers from 50+ countries, including Ivy League professors and professionals, who earn at least $20-$40 per hour to train AI models through sophisticated interactions and evaluations.

The company’s approach focuses on capturing cultural nuance and contextual understanding in AI responses.

Techpreneur’s unconventional path included leaving Silicon Valley’s status game, avoiding venture capital, and building firm from his savings.

The technology services provider maintains extreme secrecy about its methodologies, operating through a wholly-owned affiliate called DataAnnotation Tech, with even its annotators often unaware of the company's involvement.