‘Nobody does dishes better than I do’: NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang on what it takes to build a trillion dollar firm

Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, isn’t your typical tech titan. He may be leading a company valued over a trillion dollars, but his secret sauce isn’t aloofness or arrogance.

He shared a glimpse into his work ethic and leadership philosophy that goes beyond just lines of code and boardroom strategy. During an interview, Huang downplayed his CEO status, instead emphasizing the importance of core life skills.

Mayfield Managing Partner Navin Chaddha told Huang that he was shocked to know a person of his pedigree would be such a great host. To which, he said, “I’m known to be the same tables better than I do. I thought it was dishwashers and nobody does dishes better than I do.”

He went on to elaborate, “Hey, look, you know, core skill set, the deep mode, look, these are life skills, you know, they help bussing tables, making dinner and doing dishes. These are are really important life skills .”

Huang believes that giving your best effort, regardless of the task, is a fundamental building block for success. He finds value in the transferable skills learned from seemingly ordinary chores like washing dishes, comparing them to the hustle required in the fast-paced world of technology.

Huang’s journey with NVIDIA embodies this philosophy. The company wasn’t born with a silver spoon. In fact, it began at Denny’s restaurant with three friends and a dream of revolutionizing computer graphics. Their initial efforts resulted in a technical flop, but Huang and his team displayed unwavering determination. They learned from their mistakes, adapted their strategy, and eventually achieved commercial success with the RIVA 128 chip.

In 1993, three friends and engineers – Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem – came together with a vision to transform gaming and media using 3D graphics. They reunited at a Denny’s, where Huang, now 30 years old and a married father of two, found inspiration. This very restaurant held sentimental value for Huang, who had worked there as a busboy at the age of 15.

In 1995, Nvidia created a budget-friendly computer processing chip named the NV1, securing a deal with Sega to adapt its games for PC play. However, the chip’s performance was disappointing, failing to deliver satisfactory graphics rendering. Nvidia’s CEO, Huang, admitted this setback in a 2023 speech at National Taiwan University, where he revealed that the failure nearly bankrupted the company. Through negotiations, Huang managed to secure a contract buyout from Sega, injecting much-needed funds and resources into Nvidia’s quest to develop a superior successor to the NV1.

Nvidia, a key player in the chip-making sector driving the growth of artificial intelligence, now boasts a staggering valuation of $2.22 trillion. This places it among the top-ranking companies globally in terms of value.

Nvidia introduced the RIVA 128 chip in 1997, marking a significant breakthrough that enjoyed widespread commercial success. As time progressed, Nvidia expanded its horizons beyond gaming, venturing into laptop manufacturing, automotive technology, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing, particularly notable during the Covid-19 pandemic. Notably, Nvidia’s shares have surged, with Goldman Sachs reporting returns exceeding 500% since the beginning of 2023.