Nvidia CEO Reviews All 42,000 Employee Salaries Monthly
Tech Titan Attributes Company Success to Hands-On Compensation Strategy
In a candid discussion on the AI-focused All-In podcast, Jensen Huang, CEO of chipmaking giant Nvidia, revealed a rigorous personal practice: reviewing the compensation of every single one of his company’s 42,000 employees each month. This deep dive into salaries, he stated, is a cornerstone of his leadership philosophy.
A Personal Approach to Compensation
Despite an demanding schedule, **Huang** dedicates time to this process, leveraging machine learning and other technologies to manage the vast data. He explained his commitment to this hands-on approach.
“I review everybody’s compensation, up to this day, at the end of every cycle. They send me everybody’s recommended comp. I go through the whole company. I sort through all 42,000 employees, and 100% of the time I increase the company’s spend on opex.”
—Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia
This philosophy, he believes, fosters a positive environment. “If you take care of people, everything else takes care of itself,” **Huang** asserted.
Rewarding Talent and Driving Success
The effectiveness of **Huang**’s strategy is evident in Nvidia’s recent successes. A significant surge in the company’s stock price has propelled three board members into billionaire status. Furthermore, **Huang** himself made his debut on Forbes’s list of the world’s top 10 wealthiest individuals last fall.
He also highlighted the company’s role in cultivating wealth among its leadership, noting:
“I’ve created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world. They’re doing just fine. Don’t feel sad for anybody at my layer.”
—Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia
Small Teams, Big Impact with Funding
Shifting focus to innovation, **Huang** also discussed the power of well-funded, specialized teams. He cited examples like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek, both of which achieved significant breakthroughs with initial workforces of around 150 AI researchers.
“The impact of 150 or so AI researchers, with funding behind them, can probably create.”
—Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia
This illustrates his belief that substantial investment in select groups can yield extraordinary results. As of early 2024, the average salary for an AI researcher in the United States is approximately $150,000 annually, underscoring the significant investment required for such specialized talent (Levels.fyi).
“If you’re willing to pay, say, $20 billion, $30 billion to buy a startup with 150 AI researchers, why wouldn’t you pay one?” **Huang** questioned, emphasizing the value of nurturing talent internally.
**Huang**’s approach suggests a strong conviction that prioritizing employee well-being and fair compensation is a direct driver of both individual and corporate success in the competitive tech landscape.