Dylan Taylor, founder of Voyager Technologies, became a millionaire at 27, five years before Warren Buffett reached the same milestone. He has a surprising advice for Gen-Z

Taylor, founder of space technology company Voyager Technologies, became a millionaire at just 27—five years before Warren Buffett reached the same milestone. His approach to building wealth was different from simply maximizing his salary: he focused on owning equity and investing early.

His message to younger workers is straightforward: don't focus only on income. Try to own a piece of the value you are helping create.

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The billionaire's advice: Ask for equity, not just a raise

Taylor says there are essentially two ways to make money from your career: income and equity.

"I think it's very difficult to make a lot of money working for somebody," Taylor told Fortune. "There's two different ways to make money: income and equity. Whether you're an employee or a founder, I think you should push for more equity and less income. That's really what compounds over time."

That is a strategy Taylor says he followed himself.

"I always wanted equity as opposed to higher base salary," he said of the employment agreements he negotiated earlier in his career. "I think that ended up being very wise."

Taylor went on to make millions through leadership roles across electronics, finance and banking, as well as investments in real estate and companies including Robinhood, Relativity Space and Calm. His investments, along with Voyager's IPO, eventually helped make him a billionaire. Fortune reviewed a summary of his financial records that verified his billionaire status.

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Even young employees can ask for ownership

Taylor doesn't believe equity is something only founders or senior executives should negotiate. He argues that even a worker in their early 20s can ask whether they can receive equity instead of maximizing their salary.

"If someone came to you and said, 'I actually want to make less money, but I want more of the value we create together'—I think most bosses, assuming they're not totally insecure and see this person as a threat, would welcome that."

The reasoning is simple: employees receive a salary regardless of how much the company ultimately grows, while equity can potentially become much more valuable if the business succeeds.

Taylor says managers may not have the authority to approve such an arrangement themselves, but they can take the conversation to senior leadership.

"With equity, you only really pay on success," he said.

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Not every job will offer stock options

Taylor also acknowledges that his strategy isn't realistic for every worker or industry. "If you're working for an industrial valve company in Newcastle, I'm not sure you'd be able to do that. But if it's a tech company, they're issuing options—so there's no reason why you can't ask the question."

Even when the answer is no, Taylor says asking the question can still be useful.

"You could just say, 'Okay, well, at what point would I be eligible?'" he said. "I think it really reframes you in their mind. It's like, this is someone who's focused on creating value. I think it's good signaling."

His wealth advice goes beyond negotiating a salary

Taylor also advocates a barbell investing strategy, which involves putting most of your money into relatively safer investments while allocating a smaller portion to higher-risk assets.

"As crazy as it sounds, you'd have 70% of your money in the FTSE 100, and 30% in Bitcoin," he said. "It seems crazy, but I think those strategies work."

The broader lesson from Taylor's career is that building wealth isn't necessarily about earning the biggest paycheck as quickly as possible.

For Gen Z workers, his argument is to think about ownership, compounding and long-term value alongside salary.

And Taylor isn't the only wealthy investor making that case. Martin Mignot, an early Deliveroo investor, has similarly emphasized the importance of owning equity and getting into promising companies early.

Time may be the biggest advantage for young investors

For those without access to startup equity, Ramit Sethi has a different message: automate regular investments into a low-cost index fund and give them time to grow.

"Timing the market is for suckers," Sethi told Fortune. "Treat your investments like a Thanksgiving dinner. Put the turkey in the oven, close it, and let it cook for the next 30 years."

His point is particularly relevant to younger workers.

"When you're young, you have one luxury that no one else has, and that is the luxury of time," he said.

For Gen Z, that could mean the biggest financial advantage isn't simply negotiating the next raise. It may be starting early, investing consistently and, when possible, owning a stake in the businesses that have the potential to grow.