Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, recently revealed in an episode of the “Acquired” podcast that starting a company is much more difficult than he expected. He stated that if he had known the challenges he would face, he probably wouldn’t have started a company at all.
Huang, who built Nvidia into a trillion-dollar company, described the process of founding the AI chip manufacturer as “a million times harder than I expected it to be.” He expressed the vulnerability, pain, suffering, embarrassment, and challenges that entrepreneurs endure, saying that “nobody in their right mind would do it.”
However, despite the difficulties, Huang believes that underestimating the challenges can actually benefit entrepreneurs. He referred to it as the “superpower” of an entrepreneur, as they trick their brains into thinking the journey won’t be as hard as it really is. Huang admitted that if he were to go back and endure the whole journey again, he believes it would be too much to handle.
Despite the challenges, Nvidia has become incredibly successful, thanks to the booming business in generative AI. The demand for chips that power AI’s large language models has propelled Nvidia into the exclusive club of trillion-dollar market cap companies, alongside Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple.
With this success, Huang’s net worth has also soared. He saw the biggest gain in net worth percentage-wise in Forbes’ annual list of the 400 richest Americans and now has an estimated net worth of $37.3 billion.
Interestingly, Huang has also gained recognition as a fashion icon for his signature black leather jackets. Some online resellers have even capitalized on his image and name by selling copycat jackets.
Overall, while the journey of starting a company may be extremely challenging, Huang’s success with Nvidia demonstrates the potential rewards that can come from persevering through the hardships.
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