Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said earlier this month that he could see his company's evolution in his head before it translated into reality.
"Manifest your belief as deeply as you can," Huang said in the interview at the University of Cambridge on Nov. 4 as he discussed how he stayed committed to his company during its early days.
Seeing The Final Product In His Head
Having that vision made it easier for him to stick with it, and he said that solidifying the startup's beliefs was a key part of Nvidia's (NASDAQ:NVDA) success.
"We believe what we believe," he told the audience at the Cambridge Union Debating Center.
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His team operated on assumptions and principles that remained unshakable by outside forces. Nvidia didn't change direction because of what other people thought, but Huang also didn't blindly follow his ideas.
"Every single day, I gut check the assumptions I made," he said. He would course correct if he no longer felt like certain assumptions and principles served the startup, but he always made the final call instead of letting outside forces influence his beliefs.
Huang's ability to stick with his beliefs helped him become a recipient of the Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship Award, which he received just ahead of the interview. The program started in 2017 in honor of the late professor, and it awards individuals who have made "a significant impact on science, technology, and its communication, with an emphasis on impacts affecting the younger generation," according to the Cambridge Union.
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Adaptability Keeps You In The Game
Huang emphasized staying adaptable as a founder and being willing to challenge previous ideas. Adaptability also comes with adjusting as market conditions change and learning from your mistakes.
"I am constantly learning through failure," he said at Cambridge Union.
It's especially important to remain flexible when setting ambitious goals and growing a large company. Huang included some details in the interview about how Nvidia had to create a new industry that has now positioned it as an AI leader.
"We invented a new product category, the GPU," Huang said. "We invented, in fact, a new form of computing, called CUDA, accelerated computing. Along the way, we created the instrument of scientists, artists, designers, dreamers, and most importantly, we sparked a new industrial revolution, the AI industrial revolution.”
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The Role Of A CEO
Huang also touched on what it means to be a CEO who leads a startup. He labeled the role as "a lifetime of sacrifice" that puts you "in service of the company."
"It’s mostly about sacrifice," he said. "It’s about strategy. Strategy is not just about choosing what to do. It’s about choosing what not to do, which is sacrifice, and the determination, the conviction, the pain and suffering that goes along with overcoming obstacles.”
Huang also said that being a CEO "is not about fame and glory" but highlighted the "pain and suffering" that happens behind the scenes.
"You’re creating conditions for other people to do their life’s work," he said. You’re inspiring through example."
That type of mindset explains why Huang continued to build Nvidia and endured the challenges that came his way. Nvidia still faces challenges, such as competitors creating custom AI chips and trade war risks that almost reached a tipping point in Q1. Huang's ability to navigate obstacles gives his company an edge.
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