Nvidia founder Jensen Huang wishes ‘pain and suffering’ on Stanford grads. Why and what to learn from his rise
Nvidia founder Jensen Huang wishes ‘pain and suffering’ on Stanford grads. Why and what to learn from his rise
Nvidia founder Jensen Huang wishes ‘pain and suffering’ on Stanford grads. Why and what to learn from his rise

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Thanks to investors' insatiable appetite for artificial intelligence, Nvidia (NVDA) — a key player in powering AI advancements — has become a market darling. The stock has skyrocketed, showing a 70% increase year to date and a staggering 1,749% return over the past five years.

The surge in Nvidia’s share price has significantly increased the wealth of its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang. According to Forbes, Huang now ranks as the 20th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $72.2 billion.

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However, he didn’t begin his career in the billionaire club — far from it.

During a recent “View From The Top” interview at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Huang was asked why he created a flat organizational structure for his company. In his response, he reflected on his humble beginnings.

“To me, no task is beneath me because remember, I used to be a dishwasher, and I mean that, and I used to clean toilets. I mean, I cleaned a lot of toilets, I've cleaned more toilets than all of you combined, and some of them, you just can't unsee,” he said.

Huang’s light-hearted remark elicited laughter from the audience.

He continued, “I don't know what to tell you, that's life, and so you can't show me a task that's beneath me.”

Huang emphasizes his willingness to help others by sharing his approach to problem-solving. He states that his assistance is not about whether a task is beneath him but about being of service: by demonstrating his reasoning process on various challenges — whether they're ambiguous, incalculable, or seemingly daunting — he empowers others.

Resilience matters

Huang doesn’t hesitate to make bold statements. During another Stanford event, he made some intriguing remarks about expectations, pain and suffering.

Speaking at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research last month, Huang was asked what advice he’d give to students to enhance their chances of success.

Rather than prescribing specific actions, he shared this insight: "One of my great advantages is that I have very low expectations."