Biographer discusses Hwang In-hyun: Nervous about speaking, strong desire to win

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang leads the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) with confidence, wit, and warmth in public appearances. However, according to “The Huang Renxun Biography” author Stephen Witt, few people outside know that even now, when stepping onto the stage for a speech, Huang Renxun still nervously paces back and forth, showing an extraordinary sense of competitiveness.

As reported by the Central News Agency, “The Huang Renxun Biography” is the world’s first authorized interview biography of Huang Renxun. The author, Stephen Witt, a financial journalist based in Los Angeles, wrote a profile of Huang Renxun for The New Yorker in 2023, which led to the opportunity for the biography.

In an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency, Stephen Witt said he had never seen anyone as intelligent and hardworking as Huang Renxun. Privately, Huang Renxun is entirely different – at home, he is like a “silly old dad,” enjoying cooking and playing baseball. However, in the workplace, Huang Renxun urges his employees at an incredibly fast pace. The atmosphere at NVIDIA resembles the Apollo moon landing program, striving to achieve ambitious goals.

Question: What was the most impressive thing about interviewing Huang Renxun?

Answer: I have never seen anyone like Huang Renxun. He is extremely intelligent and hardworking, always eloquent and somewhat moody. One thing that impressed me the most was seeing Huang Renxun pacing back and forth before a speech. Although he is skilled at public speaking and has given thousands of presentations, he still feels nervous.

Question: From your perspective during the biography interview, what are the differences in Huang Renxun’s work and personal life?

Answer: Several people told me that Huang Renxun at home is different from the one at work. Some even suggested that his displays of anger and reprimanding employees are deliberate theatrics. At home, Huang Renxun is like a goofy dad, enjoying cooking and playing baseball. He values not only his duties as a CEO but also being a good father and husband.

Question: Huang Renxun is often described as a workaholic. In your observation, what is his secret to improving work efficiency?

Answer: Huang Renxun is undoubtedly a workaholic, working long hours every day for 40 years. I’m not sure how he manages to avoid burnout. He employs various scheduling techniques to maximize productivity, with two worth mentioning. Firstly, he always tackles the most critical tasks at the start of the day. Secondly, he uses the “speed of light scheduling” to determine how quickly a task can be completed if everything goes smoothly, then adjusts it to a feasible but faster deadline.

Question: In order to drive the rapid development of AI chips, what are the basic requirements Huang Renxun has for his employees? In your personal observation, what kind of atmosphere is displayed at the NVIDIA headquarters office?

Answer: Most of what happens at NVIDIA is tied to the six-month chip release cycle. If you’ve worked at a weekly magazine, you’ll understand that pressure. The pace at NVIDIA is extremely fast, with many projects overlapping, requiring a series of late-night overtime rushes to meet deadlines. Surprisingly, many of these improvised systems still form the foundation of NVIDIA’s chip architecture.

The atmosphere at NVIDIA is like a grand research project, striving to achieve ambitious goals similar to the Apollo program. Huang Renxun has made many employees very wealthy, and he is beloved by them. NVIDIA employees even use custom Huang Renxun emoji stickers to chat with each other.

Question: How does Huang Renxun cope with setbacks and failures? When faced with problems, what mindset and methods does he use to resolve them?

Answer: When facing setbacks and failures, Huang Renxun’s emotions can verge on eruption. He detests failure, especially when a project is poorly executed. In the late 1970s, he lost a high school table tennis final, and even after over forty years when I interviewed him, I could still sense his regret.

Question: If Huang Renxun could take a day off without working at all, what do you think he would do?

Answer: Start another business.