Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says a Japanese gardener taught him one of the most profound learnings of his life it s why he can be on top of every detail at the $3.2 trillion chip giant
Jensen Huang is known in Silicon Valley for his meticulous attention to detail, despite tech giant Nvidia growing to a market cap of more than $3 trillion. But it was a chance encounter with a Japanese gardener that helped the CEO realize he has the time to be a perfectionist, instead of racing to the next project.
Billionaire entrepreneur Huang recounted the story on Friday at Caltech’s 130th commencement ceremony in Pasadena. He told students he used to work in one of Nvidia’s overseas office for one month a year every summer, with his family joining him for the trip.
One of these visits was to Japan, Huang said, where the family spent a weekend in Kyoto and visited the Silver Temple and moss garden.
“The day we visited was a quintessential Kyoto summer day,” Huang recalled. “Suffocatingly hot and humid, sticky heat is radiating from the ground. Along with the other tourists we wondered through the meticulously groomed moss garden.
“I noticed the lone gardener. Now remember… the moss garden is gigantic… and exquisitely maintained. I noticed the lone gardener squatting, carefully picking at the moss with a bamboo tweezer and putting it in the bamboo basket. The basket looked empty for a moment there I thought h
Everybody needs a hero and Jensen is one of mine. I’m probably deluded. He probably just has great PR. That’s Ok. I don’t really know how GPUs work. I also don’t know how high Nvidia can go. I’m just going to find out. He’s a deca-billionaire reputed to be a very nice guy. Not an a**hole like Steve Jobs. Not an autistic possible thief like Zuck. Not a globalist-freakazoid like Bill Gates. Just a really nice guy who works hard. Not like me, but exactly like a guy who’s building the company that might make us all rich. I can live with that.