The NVIDIA Way by Tae Kim

The story behind the world’s most valuable company. As with any incredible success story, our memories are shaped by the here and now, not the way back when, but the story of NVIDIA is not one of an overnight success; rather, it is one of 30 years of very hard work and survival in an industry which has seen many falls by the wayside. Along the journey there has been numerous near-death experiences which this book dives into.

No doubt being the company at the epicentre of the current AI boom is what’s driven NVIDIA to where it is today. The decision by its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, to essentially ‘go all in’ on AI, after the 2012 ImageNet image recognition breakthrough (more on that in the book), was a huge call to make, but obviously the correct one in hindsight.

Taking a step back, what are some of the keys to the success of NVIDIA, a gaming graphics company turned AI juggernaut?

• The role of its fanatical founder, Jensen Huang. This cannot be understated, as without him, NVIDIA probably wouldn't be around today. He has ~60 direct reports, runs a very flat management structure, is a very hard taskmaster and has an insatiable appetite for learning;
• Having some brilliant co-founders who were best of breed when it came to the technical side of semiconductors. They set the company on its path of early success, which drove further innovation, and led to further success.
• A company culture which was operationalised for high performance – tight feedback loops between research, product, and go-to-market kept product cycles short and learning rates high – the “light speed” mantra;
• A genuine paranoia of only ever being 30 days from going out of business, stressing the perils of bad decisions (admittedly, I am sure this paranoia was higher in the early days than in recent times!)

A lot of the book focuses on the background and leadership style of Jensen Huang. From humble beginnings as a teenage janitor, there is no doubt he has come a long way (understatement of the century perhaps), but he appears to always be far more focused on the future than celebrating the past. A great quote which personifies his leadership style…

“I'd rather torture you into greatness because I believe in you”. Jensen Huang

‍Link to book

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