NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company

NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company

May 18, 2026 · 1h 7m · Episode 836

About this episode

Jensen Huang shares the story of NVIDIA's rise from near collapse to becoming a leader in AI technology.

NVIDIA is one of the most valuable companies in human history. Its chips run the AI systems transforming everything from entertainment to warfare. But for years, almost nobody believed in co-founder Jensen Huang’s vision. Jensen spent nearly a decade pouring billions into a technology called CUDA, long before AI made it profitable. In this deeply personal conversation, Jensen tells Guy why NVIDIA’s very first chip was a catastrophic failure … and how at one point, the company was 30 days away from going out of business.  Jensen also explains why he thinks fears about AI are overblown, and why he believes the next generation will have more opportunity — not less — because of AI. What You’ll Learn: Why NVIDIA nearly collapsed before becoming an AI giant How researchers sparked the AI boom using NVIDIA gaming chips How to lead through uncertainty when a huge bet hasn’t yet paid off How Jensen approaches hard decisions like an engineer We’re “doing ourselves a disservice” by being afraid: Jensen on AI and job loss How Jensen defends his demanding management style Why past failures still haunt him Key Moments From the Interview: 00:07:51 — Jensen Huang’s childhood at an unusual…

Topics covered

More episodes of How I Built This with Guy Raz

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the How I Built This with Guy Raz podcast page.