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Jensen Huang has built Nvidia into a company worth more than $3 trillion.
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Business Insider spoke to eight current and former employees about what it’s like to work for him.
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Insiders revealed that he often “interrogates” high-level workers and has high expectations of them.
Jensen Huang has achieved rock star status in Silicon Valley.
The rise of AI and growing demand for Nvidia’s GPUs have boosted the company’s stock and earned Nvidia’s CEO a reputation as a visionary. Even Mark Zuckerberg calls him the “Taylor Swift of technology.”
People who have worked for Huang on Nvidia’s journey to becoming a more than $3 trillion company have previously described what a “demanding” boss he can be.
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 identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
They describe their approach to leadership as a combination 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 people who spoke to BI.
‘Crystallizing complex things’
Two former executives described Huang as the smartest person they had ever met.
“He is a master at crystallizing complex things with simple clarity; he is able to summarize things and has very broad and deep knowledge, and can go as deep as he wants into virtually any topic,” said one.
Another informant revealed that Huang often asks questions to which he already knows the answers as a way to gauge understanding of a topic. They said it’s a strategic tactic and reminiscent of the character Lt. Columbo in the television drama “Columbo,” who feigned ignorance to catch people off guard or make them slip up.
As a leader, Huang is incredibly practical and meticulous in his attention to detail, several people said.
“Jensen is deeply involved in everything and works tirelessly; I think work is his hobby,” said one current employee.
Huang often reviews slides before presentations and sometimes suggests last-minute changes to make sure they meet his high standards, two people said.
Email style
It also favors a flat organizational structure, reflected in the design of Nvidia’s offices in the 2000s, where even executives had cubicles. That was a way to avoid creating a separation between rank-and-file staff and leadership, a former high-level employee said.
The company’s own style of writing emails is another area where Huang’s influence is felt. Employees are expected to send Huang and his department a list of his top five priorities each week. Huang even responds to some of these emails, according to three people, which he believed showed his commitment to all aspects of operations.
intellectual honesty
Huang sets high expectations for both his employees and himself.
“He’s definitely a demanding leader; he’s a bit like a sports coach in the sense that he expects a lot from you because he wants you to reach 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 is seen as a way to learn and improve. Huang encourages what insiders call “intellectual honesty.” That means acknowledging when you make a mistake, and you could get into trouble if you don’t admit your mistakes, they said.
One 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 high-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 believes that teaching people and pointing out learning opportunities is part of his job.
The ‘Jensen roast’
Senior-level employees often experience what some have called a “Jensen interrogation”: intense questioning by Huang.
Several people BI spoke to said they had felt pressure in meetings.
“Everyone gets asked tough questions; you’re expected to know your business,” said one former executive. “If you started to look like you didn’t know, he would start questioning you and finding out what you didn’t know as a way of saying ‘go deal with this.'”
One employee compared Huang’s questioning to a lawyer’s questioning, noting that he would not back down until he had made his point. “Some say that if Jensen doesn’t yell at you it’s because he doesn’t care about you.”
Generosity
Huang is also known within the company for his generosity and philanthropy. One former executive said he opened his Hawaii home to some staff members and even made them breakfast because he likes to cook.
During the 2010s, Huang decided to abandon company Christmas parties in favor of employees doing charity work. “We started helping failing schools in the Bay Area by hiring people or volunteering,” 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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