Billionaire made his first million at 27

Space technology entrepreneur Richard Taylor became a billionaire at 35, making his first million at just 27—five years ahead of Warren Buffett. Rather than simply chasing higher salaries, Taylor focused on owning equity in the companies he worked for, investing early, and seeking equity rather than just raises. He advises young workers not to solely focus on income, but to ask for ownership stakes in the value they help create.

Taylor explains that income can be consistent, but equity has the potential to grow exponentially if the business succeeds. While not all jobs offer equity, he believes that even young employees can negotiate for it, which can be a wise investment strategy. Taylor also advocates for a "barbell" investing approach, putting most of one's money into safer investments and allocating a smaller portion to higher-risk assets like Bitcoin.

He emphasizes that building wealth is about long-term value and compounding, not just earning the biggest paycheck as quickly as possible.