The AI boom and soaring demand for Nvidia GPUs have propelled the company’s stock and earned the Nvidia CEO a reputation as a visionary. Even Mark Zuckerberg calls him the “Taylor Swift of tech.”
People who have worked for Huang on Nvidia’s journey to become a $3 trillion-plus company previously described how he can be a “demanding” boss.
Eight current and former Nvidia employees spoke to Business Insider about Huang’s leadership style and what it’s like to be grilled by him. These people asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
They describe his approach to leadership as a blend of high expectations, a demand for intellectual honesty, and a “relentless pursuit of perfection.” Huang’s approach has helped drive Nvidia’s success and created a culture with a growth mindset, according to the people who spoke to BI.
‘Crystallizing complex things’
Two former executives described Huang as the smartest person they’ve ever met.
“He is a master at crystallizing complex things with simple clarity; he’s able to boil stuff down and has very broad, deep knowledge and can go as deep as you want to on pretty much any subject,” one said.
Another insider revealed that Huang often asks questions he already knows the answers to as a way of assessing comprehension of a topic. They said it’s a strategic tactic and reminiscent of the character Lieutenant Columbo in the TV drama “Columbo,” who would feign ignorance to catch people off guard or get them to slip up.
As a leader, Hunag is incredibly hands-on and meticulous in his attention to detail, several people said.
“Jensen is deeply involved in everything, and he works tirelessly — I think work is his hobby,” a current employee said.
Huang often reviews slide decks before presentations and, at times, suggests last-minute changes to ensure they meet his high standards, two people said.
Email style
He also favors a flat organizational structure, reflected in Nvidia’s office layout in the 2000s, where even executives had cubicles. That was a way to avoid creating separation between rank-and-file staff and the leadership, a former senior-level employee said.
The company’s house style for writing emails is another area where Huang’s influence is felt. Employees are expected to send Huang and their department a list of their top five priorities each week. Huang even responds to some of these emails, according to three people, which they felt showed his engagement with every aspect of operations.
Intellectual honesty
Huang sets high expectations for his employees as well as himself.
“He’s definitely a demanding leader; he’s a bit like a sports coach in that he expects a lot of you because he wants you to achieve your potential for your own good and for the good of the team,” one person said, adding that they saw it as a positive quality.
Admitting mistakes is crucial at Nvidia, as it’s seen as a way to learn and improve. Huang fosters what the insiders called “intellectual honesty.” That means owning up when you screw up, and you could be in trouble if you don’t admit your mistakes, they said.
A former executive recalled a telling moment in 1999, after Nvidia launched its first GPU, when Huang asked about the launch event. Despite the positive feedback, Huang’s only question was “What could you have done better?”
Three former senior-level employees said Huang’s leadership style is based on this focus on continuous improvement and learning from mistakes.
Another former executive described this approach as a “relentless pursuit of perfection.” He said he believes Huang thinks teaching people and pointing out learning opportunities is part of his job.
The ‘Jensen grilling’
Senior-level employees often experience what some have referred to as a “Jensen grilling”— intense questioning by Huang.
Several people BI spoke to said they had felt the heat in meetings.
“Everybody gets asked tough questions; you’re expected to know your business,” a former executive said. “If you started to look like you didn’t know, he’d start grilling you and finding what you didn’t know as a way to tell you ‘go get on top of this’.”
One employee likened Huang’s grilling to an attorney’s interrogation, noting that he wouldn’t back down until he’d made his point. “Some say if you don’t get yelled at by Jensen, it’s because he doesn’t care about you.”
Generosity
Huang is also known inside the company for his generosity and philanthropy. A former executive said he has opened his home in Hawaii to some staff and even made them breakfast as he likes to cook.
During the 2010s, Huang decided to ditch company Christmas parties in favor of employees doing charitable work. “We started helping schools in disrepair in the Bay Area, hiring people or volunteering ourselves,” one employee said.
In 2011, when Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, Huang quickly donated money and encouraged staff to do the same.
Nvidia declined to comment.
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