Moonshots Podcast: Superstar mindsets and success habits Nvidia CEO and Co-founder - Jensen Huang
Jun 6, 2025
Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, is a trailblazer in AI and high-performance computing. He shares insights on navigating the company's early challenges, emphasizing the importance of assembling a great founding team and securing venture capital. Huang discusses how embracing hardship fosters resilience and builds character in leadership. He also reflects on the significance of being present and prioritizing what truly matters in our busy lives, blending stoic principles with visionary innovation.
50:08
Build For Future Waves, Expect Surprise
- NVIDIA evolved from gaming GPUs to powering generative AI by anticipating new waves.
- Jensen Huang treats surprise as productive: he expects to be surprised by emergent use cases.
Hire Great People And Chase Big Markets
- Do prioritize hiring great people and build a team with trusted reputations.
- Aim for a vision large enough to justify investor risk and long-term investment.
Test Team Chemistry With A Small Project
- Do run a small collaborative project first to test working chemistry before committing.
- Use short trials to reveal reliability, communication and working style under pressure.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app 1 chevron_right 2 chevron_right 3 chevron_right 4 chevron_right 5 chevron_right 6 chevron_right 7 chevron_right 8 chevron_right 9 chevron_right 10 chevron_right 11 chevron_right
Intro
00:00 • 3min
NVIDIA’s rise to AI prominence
03:03 • 2min
Early founding story and funding
05:02 • 9min
Choosing big markets and reinvention
14:15 • 6min
How to build a great founding team
19:47 • 5min
Rigorous hiring and team standards
25:13 • 4min
Expectation versus resilience
29:34 • 8min
Why embracing hardship builds character
37:27 • 5min
Focus on the present: 'Now is most important'
42:48 • 3min
Balancing mindfulness with visionary leadership
45:59 • 4min
Outro
49:47 • 17sec
#635
• Mentioned in 42 episodes
Mindset
The New Psychology of Success
Carol S. Dweck
Carol S. Dweck's "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" explores the profound impact of mindsets on achievement and well-being.
Dweck distinguishes between a fixed mindset, which believes abilities are innate and unchangeable, and a growth mindset, which embraces challenges and sees abilities as malleable.
The book presents compelling research demonstrating how a growth mindset fosters resilience, creativity, and greater success.
Dweck's work has revolutionized our understanding of learning and motivation, inspiring educators, parents, and individuals to cultivate a growth mindset.
The book offers practical strategies for fostering a growth mindset in oneself and others.
#62
• Mentioned in 195 episodes
Grit
The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth
In this book, Angela Duckworth presents a compelling argument that success is driven more by grit, a fusion of relentless passion and perseverance, than by talent.
She explains what grit is, how to identify and develop it, and how it can be grown through stages such as developing interests, consistent practice, finding a pro-social purpose, and cultivating optimism.
The book is structured in three parts: explaining what grit is and why it matters, how to grow grit from the inside out, and how to grow grit from the outside in, targeting parents, coaches, teachers, and organizational leaders.
Duckworth supports her arguments with personal stories, historical insights, and interviews with high achievers from various fields.
#804
• Mentioned in 36 episodes
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Dale Carnegie
In 'How to Stop Worrying and Start Living', Dale Carnegie provides a set of practical formulas and techniques to help readers overcome their worry habits.
The book, first published in 1948, has been updated and remains highly relevant today.
It offers advice on how to eliminate business and financial worries, avoid fatigue, improve sleep, and cultivate a mental attitude that brings peace and happiness.
Carnegie's approach includes rules such as living in 'day-tight compartments', accepting the worst-case scenario, and keeping busy to crowd out worry.
The book is filled with inspiring examples and stories of people who have successfully applied these principles to achieve a more enjoyable and fulfilling life.
#202
• Mentioned in 94 episodes
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
A Leadership Fable
Patrick Lencioni
This book explores the fundamental causes of team failure and organizational politics through a narrative about a fictional company, DecisionTech, Inc. It outlines five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.
The book provides practical advice and real-world examples to help teams overcome these dysfunctions and become high-performing teams.
#67
• Mentioned in 189 episodes
The Power of Now
A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Eckhart Tolle
In 'The Power of Now', Eckhart Tolle discusses the importance of living in the present moment to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
The book draws from various spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and mysticism, to explain how people's emotional problems are rooted in their identification with their minds.
Tolle argues that the present moment is the only truly real time and that past and future are mere mental constructs.
He provides methods for relaxation and meditation to help readers anchor themselves in the present, such as avoiding multitasking, spending time in nature, and letting go of worries about the future.
The book also introduces concepts like the 'pain-body' and the distinction between one's thoughts and true self, emphasizing the need to recognize and separate from the destructive influence of the mind.
#19
• Mentioned in 328 episodes
Good to Great
Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Jim Collins
In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not.
The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect.
These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not.
The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline.
The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.
#82671
How to Start a High-Tech Company
Gordon Bell
#43
• Mentioned in 215 episodes
Ego is the Enemy
Ryan Holiday
In *Ego Is the Enemy*, Ryan Holiday delves into the concept of ego and its detrimental effects on personal and professional success.
The book is divided into three sections: Aspiration, Success, and Failure, each offering valuable lessons and perspectives.
Holiday draws on a vast array of stories and examples from literature, philosophy, and history, featuring figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
These individuals achieved great success by conquering their own egos, and their strategies and tactics are presented as models for readers.
The book emphasizes the importance of staying grounded, continually learning, and embracing a mindset of growth rather than letting ego hinder development.
Join hosts Mike and Mark for a riveting new episode of the Moonshots Podcast, where they delve into the extraordinary leadership journey of Jensen Huang, the visionary co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA. Discover how Huang's innovative thinking and resilience have propelled NVIDIA to the forefront of the technology industry, shaping the future of AI, high-performance computing, and autonomous driving.
Read Short Biography: https://www.apolloadvisor.com/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-lessons-for-entrepreneurs/
Episode Highlights:
- INTRO: The episode starts with a segment from 60 Minutes, showcasing the incredible power of NVIDIA and its influence on the future of AI.
- Clip: The future of AI (2m41)
- FOUNDING NVIDIA: Travel back to 2009, when Jensen recalls NVIDIA's early days. Learn how the three founding members gave the company its legs and gain valuable insights into securing venture capital funding.
- Clip: The first six months (2m31)
- LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS: Jensen Huang shares a profound perspective on the importance of suffering and resilience, hitting us with some hard truths about leadership and perseverance.
- Clip: Expectations versus resilience (1m40)
- OUTRO: The episode concludes with Jensen offering his wisdom on our perception of time and how we can always make room for what truly matters.
- Clip: There’s always time (2m48)
About Jensen Huang:
Jensen Huang, born on February 17, 1963, in Taiwan, moved to the U.S. at age ten and pursued engineering, earning degrees from Oregon State University and Stanford University. Huang co-founded NVIDIA in 1993, and under his leadership, the first GPU was introduced in 1999, transforming NVIDIA into a leader in AI and high-performance computing. His philanthropic efforts and recognition, including a $50 million donation to Oregon State University and being named to the TIME 100 list, reflect his profound impact on technology and society.
About Moonshots Podcast:
Moonshots Podcast helps entrepreneurs become the best versions of themselves by overcoming self-doubt and shooting for the moon. We learn out loud, deconstructing the success of the world's greatest thinkers and entrepreneurs to apply their insights to our lives.
Thanks to our monthly supporters- Mike
- Edwin Deitch
- Jamie Dorward
- Emily Rose Banks
- Malcolm Magee
- Natalie
- Ryan N.
- Marco-Ken Möller
- 孤鸿 月影
- Fabian
- Jasper Verkaart
- Andy Pilara
- ola
- Austin Hammatt
- Zachary Phillips
- Mike Leigh Cooper
- Gayla Schiff
- Laura KE
- Roar Nikolay Ytre-Eide
- Stef
- Roger von Holdt
- venkata reddy
- Ingram Casey
- Ola
- rahul grover
- Ravi Govender
- Craig Lindsay
- Steve Woollard
- Deborah Spahr
- Samoela
- Jo Hatchard
- Kalman Cseh
- Berg De Bleecker
- Paul Acquaah
- MrBonjour
- Konnor Ah kuoi
- Marjan Modara
- Dietmar Baur
- Bob Nolley