Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Jensen Huang

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Jensen Huang made an impact.

Jensen Huang is a Taiwanese-American businessman, electrical engineer, and philanthropist, best known as the co-founder, president, and CEO of Nvidia. Under his leadership, Nvidia has become the world's largest semiconductor company. As of June 2025, his estimated net worth is $138 billion, ranking him as the 11th wealthiest person globally.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1978: Huang's First Job at Denny's

In 1978, at the age of 15, Jensen Huang began working the graveyard shift at a local Denny's restaurant as a dishwasher, busboy, and waiter.

1983: Huang ends work at Denny's

In 1983, Jensen Huang's employment at Denny's restaurant ended, marking the conclusion of his work as a dishwasher, busboy, and waiter during the graveyard shift.

1984: Huang Graduates from Oregon State University

In 1984, Jensen Huang graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at the age of 20.

1987: Huang Works at LSI Logic

In 1987, Huang was working at LSI Logic.

1989: Huang Finalizes the GX Graphics Engine

In 1989, Huang, Malachowsky, and Priem finalized the accelerator graphics card, named the "GX graphics engine".

1990: Huang Resigns from Sun Microsystems

In 1990, Jensen Huang resigned from his job at Sun Microsystems to pursue a venture in making graphics chips for PC games.

1990: Sun Microsystems Revenue Increases

In 1990, sales of the graphics engine contributed to Sun Microsystem's revenue increasing from $262 million in 1987 to $656 million, and Huang was promoted to be the director of LSI's CoreWare.

1992: Huang Formulates Business Plan for Nvidia

In 1992, Jensen Huang met with Priem and Malachowsky at a Denny's diner to formulate a business plan and eventually founded the company that would become Nvidia.

1992: Huang Earns Master's Degree from Stanford

In 1992, while working as a microchip designer in Silicon Valley, Jensen Huang earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

April 5, 1993: Nvidia's Incorporation

On April 5, 1993, Jensen Huang signed Nvidia's original articles of incorporation into effect, marking the formal establishment of the company.

1993: Establishment of Nvidia and Supermicro

In 1993, Nvidia and Supermicro were both founded. Huang and Charles Liang, co-founder of Supermicro, have been friends since then, and their companies have collaborated on products using Nvidia AI chips.

1993: Nvidia Launched

In 1993, after graduating from Stanford University, Jensen Huang launched Nvidia from a local Denny's restaurant when he was 30 years old.

1993: Challenges in Starting Nvidia

In 1993, the co-founders of Nvidia faced significant challenges in starting the company, finding it much harder than anticipated.

August 1997: Release of RIVA 128

In August 1997, the release of the RIVA 128 graphics card saved Nvidia from near bankruptcy.

1999: Nvidia Goes Public

In 1999, Nvidia's stock went public.

2007: Huang's CEO Compensation

In 2007, Jensen Huang earned US$24.6 million as CEO, ranking him as the 61st highest-paid U.S. CEO by Forbes.

2008: Nvidia Contributes to Earthquake Relief and Huang Donates to Stanford

In 2008, Nvidia contributed funds to establish a classroom for students affected by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China, and Huang donated US$30 million to Stanford University to establish the Jen-Hsun Huang School of Engineering Center.

2019: Huang Donates to Oneida Baptist Institute

In 2019, Jensen Huang donated $2 million to his former school, Oneida Baptist Institute, for the construction of Huang Hall.

2022: Huang Donates to Oregon State University

In 2022, Jensen Huang gifted US$50 million to Oregon State University to establish a supercomputing institute as part of a larger US$200 million philanthropic contribution.

May 2024: Huang's Net Worth Increases

In May 2024, Jensen Huang's net worth rose rapidly along with the value of Nvidia's stock, reaching US$90 billion.

June 2024: Nvidia's Market Capitalization Reaches US$3 Trillion

In June 2024, Nvidia's market capitalization reached US$3 trillion for the first time, and Huang's net worth grew to US$100 billion.

November 2024: Huang's Management Style

As of November 2024, Jensen Huang maintains a relatively flat management structure at Nvidia, with around 60 direct reports.

2024: Huang's Tenure as Nvidia's CEO

As of 2024, Jensen Huang has been Nvidia's chief executive for over three decades.

January 2025: Huang's Keynote at Consumer Electronics Show

In January 2025, Jensen Huang delivered the keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, announcing new gaming and PC chips, including the GeForce RTX 50-series.

May 2025: Huang Visits Taiwan for Computex and World Masters Games

In May 2025, Jensen Huang traveled to Taiwan for Computex 2025 and to attend the opening ceremony of the World Masters Games as a guest of honor, experiencing a recurrence of "Jensanity".

July 2025: Nvidia Reaches $4 Trillion Market Capitalization

In July 2025, under Huang's leadership, Nvidia became the first company to reach a market capitalization of $4.0 trillion, marking a significant milestone during the AI boom.