Jensen Huang: The tough boss of Nvidia who is 'exhausted all the time' | CNA Correspondent

Jensen Huang was born in Taiwan, grew up partly in Thailand and moved to the U.S. when he was nine. He's a poster boy of a successful American immigration story. He is the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, the world's most valuable company worth more than five trillion U.S. dollars and accounting. He identifies pretty much as an American. He speaks Taiwanese Hokkien and Mandarin, wears a now famous black leather jacket like a uniform and draws rock star crowds everywhere from Silicon Valley to Taipei night markets. To the U.S., he's the face of the A.I. boom. To Taiwan, he's a legend and a hero. But behind the mythology is a man who says NVIDIA nearly died several times before changing the world. I'm Genevieve Wu and our senior correspondent Victoria Jen scored a rare, long and wide-ranging interview with Mr. Huang. Vic, let's start with your opinion about this larger-than-life personality. Was there a moment off camera, a comment or an observation that impressed you or stayed with you? Well, to the media, Jensen is almost like a Santa Claus in a black leather jacket. He has that signature look. But more importantly, he answers everything. And he's incredibly media savvy. You actually see many reporters staking out his hotel just to catch a glimpse of him. And when they do, he doesn't just wave and walk off. He chats, he engages, sometimes even hands out small snacks. He's also often seen at night markets here in Taiwan, just casually talking to vendors, taking photos, signing autographs. That's why people here call it 人來瘋 phenomenon or Jensen mania. Wherever he goes, there is this buzz and this excitement. Everyone wants to see him. Well, he sounds like he's a very grounded kind of superhero, isn't he? Oh, yeah, for sure. Well, of course, we have a million questions for a superhero like Jensen. And I'm thinking one of the biggest insights we want to hear from him is what he thinks about AI and job cuts, job losses, and that's creating a lot of anxiety and insecurities for workers global. How did he address that? He was actually quite direct on this. He pushed back strongly against the idea that AI is already causing job losses. He said that the narrative is lazy, I quote, because AI has only just become useful recently. So it doesn't make sense to blame layoffs on AI. He thinks companies are using AI as an easy excuse. But at the same time, he didn't dismiss people's fears. His advice was very clear. Learn AI. Let's listen to what he has to say. I think the narrative that connects AI to job loss for many of the CEOs that are doing it, it is just too lazy. It's just too lazy. AI has just arrived. How is it possible they're already losing jobs? How is it possible that AI became productive and useful only six months ago, and they were somehow laying people off two years ago because of AI? It doesn't make any sense. It was just a way for them to sound smart, and I really hate that. I think we're scaring people, and that's irresponsible. I think we should tell a balanced story, a balanced narrative about the potential of this technology, the importance of advancing it safely, security, guardrail, with necessary social, political, government, industrial policies to ensure that it advances safely. What do you say to people who are afraid of losing their jobs to AI? I would say to the people who are worried about losing their jobs to AI, to learn AI. You're not going to lose your jobs to AI. You're going to lose your job to somebody who learned AI better than you. My point is, it's more likely that AI will elevate your job, elevate the purpose of your job, if you became expert at it. Try to engage it. Don't be afraid of it. Of course, the industry has to be really thoughtful about building AI in a safe way, in a guardrail way, and make sure that it's deployed in a proper way, and that the end applications, whether it's in healthcare or transportation or manufacturing or air travel or whatever it is that applies AI, those industries have lots of regulations already, and they should reevaluate the regulations to be AI ready, to be AI prepared. Everybody has to be part of this. You had an interesting question for Jensen. You asked him if AI is making or will make humans lazy in their thinking. Did he have a good response? Yes, he did. What stood out to me is that he put AI into a much bigger historical context. He said that every major technology, from the personal computer to the internet, raised the same concern. People thought we'd become lazier, but instead, we became more ambitious. He made a very simple point. We're actually busier than ever. Because when technology makes things easier, we don't stop working. We just aim higher. Here's what he says. Well, I think you could use history as a guide. When the personal computer came along, I think that everybody said, is that going to make people lazier as a result because so much work is going to be, so many tasks will be automated? Then when the internet came along, are people going to stop being smart because all the information is at their fingertips? Then before you know it, mobile cloud came along, so it's actually in our pocket. We don't have to remember anything anymore. We have so many automation capabilities. The performance of a computer increased by a million times during this time. Do we find ourselves busier or less busy? I think the answer is we found ourselves busier. The reason for that is because we became more ambitious. The type of things that we could do is greater than ever. Our students today that are graduating, they're 100 times smarter than when I graduated. What they know, what they can do, their exposure to the world, the knowledge they have, the wisdom that they somehow imbued, all of that capability was made possible because of information technology, but it hasn't made them any less busy. I think you and I would admit that we're busier than ever. Now let me talk about AI. China is definitely part of the picture as well. That came up in your conversation, naturally. What did Jensen share about China and the AI story? On China, he was very candid. He said U.S. export controls created a gap that allowed Chinese companies like Huawei to grow very quickly. So in a way, restrictions may have accelerated China's self-reliance. He also made a broader point that China will be a major competitor for everyone simply because of its huge domestic market. But he doesn't see it as a zero-sum game. He still believes NVIDIA can add value in China even as the country develops its own technology. Let's listen. But reports suggest that China hasn't purchased any of the NVIDIA's H200 chips despite U.S. export approval. We're not stepping back from China. I would say that the Chinese government, when we were banned from going to China through export controls, it left a vacuum that the Chinese companies were able to fill. As a result, Huawei and many of the startup companies in China had record years. They are now growing at an incredible pace. In our absence, even though NVIDIA's technology is better, in our absence, available technology is the best you can get, and it's plenty good. The Chinese government is understandably, as every government would and should, encourage and want to have conditions for their local companies to be successful. However, I also believe that NVIDIA could add an enormous amount of value to the Chinese market. As it pushes for its own chips, could that actually eventually make China your greatest rival? Well, China is going to be everybody's greatest rival. I mean, that goes without saying because they have such an extraordinary local market that is completely uniform, just like the United States. For China, NVIDIA's technology competes with one layer of the five-layer cake. We compete with one layer of the five-layer cake, but don't forget, AI is a five-layer cake. When NVIDIA is participating in China and serving the Chinese market as we have in the past, it supports the expansion of the other five layers. When you look at the market in a more holistic way, and I surely believe that the leaders will, and the local markets will, when you look at it in a holistic way, NVIDIA could be of great service to that industry, and we could add a lot of value to the China market as well. You also talked about Taiwan. And of course, Taiwan is possibly very close to his heart since he was born in Taiwan. And of course, Taiwan claims him as their own local superhero, their own homegrown boy, right? What did he talk about the relevance of Taiwan in the global supply chain of AI? Yes, he was actually very bullish on Taiwan. He said NVIDIA is investing hundreds of billions of dollars here, and that Taiwan is right at the center of the AI supply chain. But he also pointed out that the challenges, like energy constraints and land limitations, now these are real pressures. Still, his message was clear. No region is better prepared than Taiwan to drive the next phase of AI growth. Here's what he says. Of course, NVIDIA spends, at this point, hundreds of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure, and most of our spend is in Taiwan. And so, we've invested, through the best form of investment, which is business, hundreds of billions of dollars into Taiwan. What kind of role do you think Taiwan plays? AI is at the center of Taiwan. And the companies on this island are incredible, as you know. The companies are at the epicenter of the possibility of AI and the growth of AI, the advancement of AI. On the one hand, on the other hand, it's growing incredibly here in Taiwan. The energy pressure is high. The land pressure is high. And, of course, Taiwan is extraordinary at manufacturing. And I hope we talk about robotics and how robotics is going to revolutionize and transform Taiwan's ability to continue to grow at an incredible pace. No region is better prepared for the continued growth of AI than Taiwan. And I absolutely continue to expect Taiwan to grow at an outpaced, at a very accelerated pace for many years to come. Now, Jensen has a reputation for being a tough boss. I think, to paraphrase, he was known to torture his staff. What was his own take on that reputation? Was he defensive about it? Not at all. He actually leaned into it. He compared himself to a typical Taiwanese parent, very demanding, always critical, but ultimately wanting the best for you. He said his torture is really constant feedback. He doesn't hold back, but it comes from wanting people to improve. He says once the feedback is given, it's over. You move on and no grudges. So here's what he says. Well, it's not physical torture. It's torture the same way that Taiwanese parents torture people. In a Taiwanese parent, nothing is ever good enough. Nothing is ever good enough. You can't go a day without some criticism. That's the Taiwanese way. I'm kind of the same way. You can't show me something without me giving you some criticism. I guess in a lot of ways, that's my form of torture. I will give you my feedback always, always, immediately. I'll never save it away. Once I give you my feedback, just like a Taiwanese parent, once the feedback is given, you're back to loving the person again. I'm always critical of everybody's work so that I can help them be better. I want them to be better. I know they could be better. That's where it's coming from. The thing about Asian parenting, you can move on and no grudges. It might be easier for the one who's giving the advice than the one receiving the advice. Many of us who grew up very traumatized by that kind of parenting. Me too. He was also quite candid about his own early years growing up, struggling immigrant parents, and also humble beginnings. Tell us more. What stood out is how much his upbringing shaped him. He talked about his parents moving from Taiwan to Thailand, then to the US, starting with very little, no network, no support system, just taking risks for a better future. You can see how that translates into his mindset today, that sense of discipline, precision, and also resilience. He still carries that immigrant drive, that fear of failure, but also that determination to succeed. This is what he says. I guess we're all the products of our parents. My father is very technical, very precise, does work perfectly, and perfect handwriting, does everything perfectly. His level of craft and precision and just the way he does everything in his life is something that I had the benefit of learning from. On the other hand, my mom's obsession for details, just a deep obsession. She has a personality that can't let anything go in a lot of ways. I think I picked up that part of her behavior. I can focus on something for a very long time, like NVIDIA for 33 years. Every day, I'm equally obsessed and equally intense about doing a good job. I think I had the benefit of growing up with a lot of those Taiwanese characteristics. They're very much like a Taiwanese parent. I also think that we grew up, they sacrificed a lot leaving Taiwan and left their families behind. They went to Thailand with very little, and they went to the United States with nothing. When they went to the United States, we were basically alone. There were no friends, no family to be there with us because they were so modest, and we had so little. Living in the United States, going from Taiwan is very challenging because the cost of living is so much higher. I think our humble life and just seeing my parents struggle and finding a place in a strange world and the risk that they took so that we can grow up in America and enjoy the American dream and have the opportunities that led to NVIDIA today and led to me today, all of those sacrifices instills a character in you. I'm grateful for all the sacrifices and the hard work that they made so that I could be here. I think that that journey was really an important part. You had a very rare sit-down interview with him. It was at length. How long was the entire interview that you had with him? The entire interview was about 50 minutes. Wow, that's very generous of him to give you that time. I know. I feel very lucky. You are. Throughout this conversation then, what was one of your favorite questions for Jensen? My favorite question is that I asked him what drives him to work seven days a week, and where did he get all that energy? His answer was surprisingly honest. He said, I'm exhausted all the time. But what keeps him going is a mix of things, responsibility, fear of failure, and also ambition. He feels accountable not just to his company, but to his employees, partners, even people here in Taiwan. At the same time, there's this dreamer side of him. He wants to build something meaningful, something that shapes the future. Let's listen. I'm exhausted all the time. What drives me? I mean, it's several things. It's on the one hand, it's as basic as I don't want to fail. And I don't want Nvidia to fail. And I don't want Nvidia to fail because we have too many people who are counting on me. It's employees, it's our partners, it's our ecosystem partners, all of my friends here in Taiwan. I want everybody to succeed. There's a burden on leaders that want everybody to flourish and to realize their dreams and to hopefully succeed with us. And so there's a burden that comes with that. And that gets me out of bed every day. At the same time, there's a hopeful, optimistic, ambitious part of me that wants to build something that makes an impact, makes a contribution. There's a dreamer part of me that wants to create that future and hope to see it in my lifetime. And so I'm in a hurry to have it come true. And so it's simultaneously the burden of success and wanting other people to come along. The fear of failure that somehow, because of how I was raised, because Nvidia has enjoyed and gone through a lot of very difficult time, it was not easy to build Nvidia. It was not easy to be here today. And all of the struggles can never leave my body. Once you've struggled as deeply as Nvidia has and as I've had the benefit of, it becomes part of your character and it never leaves you. I would like to work as long as I can. I hope to die on the job. That would be a dream come true. All right. On that note, Vic, thank you so much. Well done again for scoring this interview. That is really an achievement. And of course, for having this really insightful conversation with Thank you. So we had the privilege to sit down with the man in charge of the world's most valuable AI-related company. Actually, most valuable company for stock. Now, behind the leather jacket, the celebrity status and the trillions of dollars tied to Nvidia, we can see a man still shaped by immigrant parents, survival instincts and a fear of failure. In Silicon Valley, he's the face of the AI boom. But more than his business facade, Jensen Huang sounds strangely familiar, like every demanding Asian parent who insists you can always do better. Thanks for joining me on this episode of the CNA Correspondent Podcast. It's brought to you by Tiffany Ang, and me, Genevieve Woo. Bye for now.