Meet Jensen Huang, Nvidia's founder and CEO

The AI arms competition has been fine endeavor for Nvidia, which supplies the extremely in-demand chips used by many Big Tech giants and startups alike to train AI models.

That's additionally been fine news for Nvidia originator and CEO Jensen Huang. In 2024, he attempt into Forbes' catalog of the world's 10 wealthiest group as endeavor boomed for Nvidia.

Huang and chap Nvidia founders Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky planted the kernel for Nvidia at a Denny's in northern California in 1993. Today, it's a family name in the AI industry, and Huang is the billionaire businessman foremost it.

In November 2026, a controversy hung complete Huang's forthcoming following the Nvidia chief admitted that he had an affair. Huang's declaration came following The New York Times reported that he had a near association alongside person who US officials suspected of being a Chinese intellect asset.

Here's a appearance at Jensen Huang's occupation increase and background.

Early life, education

Huang was delivered in Taiwan in 1963. He spent several of his younker there and in Thailand before his parents sent Huang and his brother to the US to live alongside an uncle in Tacoma, Washington.

His uncle sent him to Oneida Baptist Institute in Kentucky, but following Huang's parents immigrated to the US, the family lived in Oregon. He graduated from elevated academy at age 16 before going to college. Huang got his bachelor's flat in electric engineering from Oregon State University and his master's flat in electric engineering from Stanford University.

Huang got his archetypal job at 15. He washed dishes and bussed and waited tables at a Denny's in Portland.

Before founding Nvidia, Huang worked at device part manufacturer LSI Logic from 1985 to 1993 and at semiconductor business AMD, or Advanced Micro Devices, from 1984 to 1985.

Founding Nvidia, foremost business as CEO

At a Denny's in 1993, Huang and his Nvidia co-founders, Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky, came up alongside the idea that would eventually guide to Nvidia's creation.

In 1999, the business released the GeForce 256, which it called the archetypal graphics handling unit, or GPU.

Today, Nvidia is instrumental in the generative AI industry, supplying the coveted chips that tech companies use to train AI models.

Interest in Nvidia's chips amid the AI surge has pushed the business to new heights.

In 2023, Nvidia joined the fistful of companies at the period alongside a trillion-dollar market cap, becoming among the most precious companies in the world.

As of November 2026, Huang's net worth is $155 billion, per Bloomberg.

Huang's administration and guidance style sees him skipping 1-on-1 meetings, managing about 60 straightforward reports as CEO, giving feedback publicly, and sending his personnel hundreds of emails a day.

Current and erstwhile Nvidia workforce earlier told BI that Huang is a hands-on boss alongside elevated expectations and exact notice to item who values owning up to your mistakes.

Huang has stated he has workaholic tendencies, logging 14-hour days and operating on holidays.

He has a tattoo of Nvidia's logo on his shoulder, which he accepted to get whenever the company's inventory cost hit $100 per share.

Huang's dreary leather jacket has additionally rotate into a celebrated part of his wardrobe — a staple part he frequently wears whenever giving keynotes or showing off a new product.

Nvidia's another founders, meanwhile, have stayed additional out of the spotlight than Huang.

Priem was Nvidia's chief specialized authoritative from 1993 to 2003, and Malachowsky is a elder innovation administrator at Nvidia.

After Nvidia went community in 1999, Priem put additional than three-quarters of his Nvidia shares into his Priem Family Foundation and by 2006, he'd sold the remainder of his shares. He was remaining alongside a fortune of approximately $30 million, Forbes estimated in 2023.

A controversy clouds the rise

In November 2026, Huang faced a controversy that threatened to derail the chipmaker's amazing rise.

Nvidia's Board of Directors announced that it was starting "an autonomous investigation" into whether Huang had "been the mark of a abroad intellect effort."

The board's declaration came following The New York Times reported that US officials believed that Alice Huang, the erstwhile CEO of a Singapore-based haze computing company, had a association alongside the Nvidia CEO. Those officials additionally believed that Alice Huang was a Chinese intellect asset. Beijing strenuously denied specified allegations.

Without naming Alice Huang, the Nvidia CEO admitted to his workforce that he had an matter and asked for their forgiveness.

"Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life," Huang wrote in the message. "My duty is to assist you and be deserving of your trust. I have fallen abbreviated of that responsibility."

President Donald Trump, who has grown near to Huang, afterward told reporters that Huang was unaware of allegations that Alice Huang power be a spy.

Jensen Huang's family

Huang met his now-wife, Lori, during motionless attending Oregon State University. The brace portion two children: Madison Huang is a director of merchandise and specialized promotion at Nvidia, and Spencer Huang is a merchandise row director at the company.

Huang and Lisa Su, CEO of Nvidia's competitor part elephantine AMD, are distant cousins.

He has a residence in Silicon Valley, as Nvidia is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Nvidia and Jensen Huang's future

Huang has been president, CEO, and a associate of Nvidia's commission of board since the company's creation. He and Nvidia haven't stated much concerning succession planning.

He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024 and has received the Semiconductor Industry Association's highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award.

In former years, The Economist has named Huang the world's finest CEO, Fortune has dubbed him its Businessperson of the Year, and TIME has included him in its annual catalog of the world's 100 most influential people.

As of June 2025, Huang owned roughly 3.77% of the company's outstanding shares, according to a proxy statement. He is Nvidia's largest idiosyncratic shareholder.