In the global semiconductor market, NVIDIA has emerged as a powerhouse with a market value of $4 trillion, approximately HKD 31.2 trillion, thanks to the leadership of Jensen Huang. The CEO, whose net worth stands at an impressive $15.1 billion, has stated that he has successfully created significant wealth for his team and predicts that artificial intelligence will generate more millionaires in the next five years than the internet did in the past two decades. He emphasizes that NVIDIA’s success is attributed to generous compensation and a rigorous corporate culture, which has propelled the company to rapid growth in the field of artificial intelligence.
NVIDIA is renowned for its outstanding employee stock purchase plan, allowing employees to buy company shares using up to 15% of their salary, with a 15% discount. The allure of this plan, referred to as Golden Handcuffs, has seen mid-level employees participating for up to 18 years, ultimately holding shares valued at $62 million (approximately HKD 484 million). In contrast to the semiconductor industry’s turnover rate of 17.7%, NVIDIA boasts a mere 2.7% turnover rate, highlighting the company’s appeal to its staff.
At a recent forum hosted by the venture capital program All-In, Huang Renxun emphasized that he has created more billionaires who are living well. He candidly stated that despite external criticism of his high standards, these standards have driven the team to extraordinary achievements. He mentioned that instead of firing employees, he prefers to torment them to tap into their potential, as his trust in them leads him to make this choice.
Jensen Huang personally reviews the salaries of all 42,000 employees and continues to increase the company’s expenditures to ensure the team receives better treatment. He denied having a substantial stock option reserve for personal use but stated that he would proactively raise salaries each year, emphasizing As long as you take good care of your employees, everything else will naturally fall into place..
Despite NVIDIA employing tens of thousands of people, Jensen Huang believes that the key to achieving rapid innovation breakthroughs lies in maintaining small yet efficient artificial intelligence research teams. He points to the success of DeepMind, OpenAI, and Moonshot AI as examples, noting that their research teams typically consist of around 150 members. He is convinced that small, well-funded, and flexible teams often produce the most outstanding results.
At present, other tech giants are fiercely competing for top artificial intelligence talent. For instance, reports indicate that Meta offered a staggering $100 million signing bonus to lure employees away from OpenAI. Although the competition in the AI field is intense, Jensen Huang firmly believes that the NVIDIA team has gained an advantage in terms of compensation and opportunities, stating: I’m doing great at my level, so there’s no need to feel sorry for us..
