Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang is widely cast in tech circles as a genius and a visionary. Yet Huang has said that raw intellect isn't what he prizes most about himself, which is a counterintuitive stance from the architect of the world's most coveted AI chips.
Jensen Huang Downplays The Importance Of Intelligence
Speaking at Caltech's 2024 commencement, Huang told graduates, "Of all of the things that I value most about my abilities, intelligence is not top of that list. My ability to endure pain and suffering, my ability to work on something for a very, very long period of time, my ability to handle setbacks and see the opportunities just around the corner, I consider to be my superpowers. And I hope they’re yours."
"I hope you will see setbacks as new opportunities. Your pain and suffering will strengthen your character, your resilience and agility – and they are the ultimate superpowers," he added.
Nvidia Was ‘Kicked Out’ Of Several Markets
Huang used Nvidia's own history to underline the point. He recalled periods when the company was "kicked out" of markets and had to search for "zero-billion-dollar" opportunities.
"With no more markets to turn to, we decided to build something where we were sure there were no customers," Huang said. "Because one of the things you can definitely guarantee is where there are no customers, there are also no competitors."
Resilience Theme Echoes Through Years And Speeches
The CEO has long framed resilience as existential for Nvidia. In a 2023 interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit, he said, "I don’t wake up proud and confident. I wake up worried and concerned," describing how near-death moments from the company's early years still shape his mindset.
Huang has pushed the theme for decades. Addressing Stanford in 2003, he quipped, "My will to survive exceeds almost everybody else’s will to kill me," a line that has since become shorthand for his tolerance for adversity.
Huang, in a speech at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, once also described character as the key differentiator between the merely talented and the truly great.
NVDA continues to score high on Momentum and Quality, but is now doing poorly in terms of Value in Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings. However, the stock still has a favorable price trend in the short, medium and long terms. Check here to see how it fares against some of the other key Magnificent 7 stocks.
Photo: jamesonwu1972 from Shutterstock
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