Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's experience as 'dishwasher' goes viral on LinkedIn

Jensen Huang founded Nvidia, the world's leading AI chipmaker in 1993. Before that, he worked as a dishwasher and waiter at an eatery called Denny's from 1978 to 1983

Jensen Huang, the founder and chief executive of Nvidia, has always publicly highlighted his humble beginning as a dishwasher at an eatery before creating one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence chip companies.

Huang founded Nvidia in 1993. Before that, he worked as a dishwasher and waiter at an eatery called Denny’s from 1978 to 1983. These are the only two experiences shared by Huang on his LinkedIn, which has taken many by surprise. LinkedIn is a social networking platform, essentially meant for building professional connections.

Now, a screenshot of Huang’s LinkedIn work profile is doing rounds on social media, with many lauding the tech mogul for having such an inspiring journey.

 

During a past interview with a US media channel, Huang said, “You cannot show me a task that is beneath me.” “...I used to be a dishwasher and cleaned toilets….I don’t know what to tell you, that’s life…,” he said.

NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, on leadership:

“No task is beneath me — because, remember: I used to wash dishes. I used to clean toilets. I cleaned a LOT of toilets. I’ve cleaned more toilets than all of you combined.”$NVDA ⁦@StanfordGSB⁩ pic.twitter.com/jzK5yVD0Eh

— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) March 8, 2024

As the profile went viral, many X (formerly Twitter) users deemed Huang as a ‘legend’ for pulling off Nvidia despite the challenges. “Insane resume from Nvidia CEO in case you haven’t seen it already,” a user @seempaq said, sharing the recent LinkedIn update by Huang.
 

What is it like to work at Nvidia?

Many people echoed similar sentiments about Huang and the company’s meteoric rise but some also pointed to the reports of the extreme work pressure environment that comes with landing a job opportunity there.

These clips of Huang have gone viral again amid a Bloomberg report, published on August 27, revealing that Nvidia’s multi-millionaire employees work with “golden handcuffs”. Nvidia, which has turned its several employees into multi-millionaires, now “tortures them into greatness”.

According to Huang’s own admission, the company “seldom fires people” but believes in giving the opportunity to learn. “…So, I would rather torture you into greatness because I believe in you….,” Huang told The Transcript during an interview in June.

As the company steers its way through the AI wave, many of its employees reported not having the time to step away from work and enjoy the wealth they have created all along. The company’s shares have jumped 3,776 per cent since 2019. In June, it overtook Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable company at $3.3 trillion.