Nvidia makes Apple look outdated: Jensen Huang and the steep rise to a technology giant

Nvidia experienced a remarkable surge in the past year, with its stock value increasing by nearly 200 percent year-over-year. Now, the chip manufacturer is approaching a historic peak and appears poised to overtake Apple as the world's most valuable company. Currently, Nvidia ranks second with a market capitalization of $3.41 trillion, while Apple maintains first place with $3.52 trillion. Amid this exciting development, Nvidia's founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, visited his alma mater, Stanford University, and participated in an insightful "View From The Top" interview with Shantam Jain at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. During the interview, Huang revealed his humble attitude, priorities, and reflective leadership views. He recalled his humble beginnings as a dishwasher at Denny's, a job he affectionately refers to as his 'second alma mater.' This experience and his subsequent promotion to busboy not only shaped his work ethic but also laid the foundation for his later career. Huang emphasizes that the reputation he gained during his first 'real' job at LSI Logic prompted his former boss to persuade the significant Silicon Valley investor, Don Valentine of Sequoia Partners, to invest in Huang's start-up. In terms of innovation and curiosity, Huang demonstrated his experimental side: 'When someone tells me something new and I don't understand it, I always think: How hard can it be?' Bookstores and technical literature accompany him in his pursuit of knowledge. Two books stand out, particularly the "OpenGL Manual," which he used with his co-founders to develop groundbreaking technologies. Huang stresses the importance of a unique mission: 'Your job is to make a unique contribution, to do something that no one else would do, to make the world a better place.' In this regard, he also praises his dedicated team as the best in the industry. In conclusion, Huang encourages a mindset of constant reinvention, based on first principles—a philosophy that shapes Nvidia today. 'How would I build a car today? How would I build a computer today?' To remain relevant amidst the changing times, Huang considers continuous reinvention essential.