Jensen Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 alongside fellow electrical engineers Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem.
Initially recognized for graphics-processing chips that powered the computer gaming market, the company later pivoted to artificial intelligence—a sector it now dominates.
“In 2012, machine-learning researchers began utilizing Nvidia hardware for neural networks, and Huang immediately recognized this would become a massive industry and the future of computing,” says Witt. “He began pouring enormous resources into building what was essentially the AI hardware market.”
“Today, we associate that market with giant data centers, but none of that infrastructure existed at the time. There were no customers for the products he was developing. In fact, his first customer was OpenAI, which had roughly 30 employees at the time; Huang effectively donated the hardware to them.”
Nvidia’s market capitalization has since surged to approximately $4.5 trillion, ranking it among the most valuable companies in history.
“The first modern neural network trained on Nvidia hardware was Alex Krizhevsky’s AlexNet, which ran on two Nvidia cards in a bedroom,” Witt adds. “Now, the same process requires 200,000 to 300,000 cards housed in massive facilities known as data centers. When you consider the AI infrastructure buildout, Huang effectively operates a tollbooth—all of that demand flows through Nvidia, temporarily making it the world’s most valuable company.”
Nvidia’s board has launched an investigation following a New York Times report alleging that Huang engaged in a romantic relationship with a woman identified by U.S. intelligence as a Chinese spy.
For now, however, the board appears reluctant to remove the 63-year-old chief executive, issuing a statement Sunday expressing “confidence in Jensen and his leadership team.”
Sources tell the BBC that Huang’s ouster is unlikely, given the immense financial stakes involved and the absence of a clear successor.