Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Rises from Denny’s Dishwasher to $4.3 Trillion Empire

Jensen Huang, the billionaire CEO of Nvidia, once held the title of Denny’s “best dishwasher.” Reflecting on his early career, Huang shared during a 2024 interview with Stanford Graduate School of Business how he approached dishwashing with precision and discipline: “I was organized. I was mise en place. I washed the living daylights out of those dishes.” Today, Huang leads a company with a $4.3 trillion market cap, and his personal wealth is estimated at $151 billion [1].

Huang’s journey from Denny’s to the pinnacle of the tech world has not gone unnoticed. He was recently ranked No. 1 on Fortune’s list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business. His leadership at Nvidia has positioned the company as a global leader in advanced chip manufacturing, with its technology driving innovation in artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and computational drug design [1].

The connection between Huang and Denny’s has taken on a symbolic significance. The restaurant chain honored Huang by creating a breakfast item named Nvidia Breakfast Bytes, featuring sausage links wrapped in buttermilk silver dollar pancakes—a dish Huang reportedly enjoys with maple syrup. Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade highlighted Huang’s journey as “a testament to the power of dreams and determination,” acknowledging the role the chain played in Nvidia’s origin story [1].

Huang’s path to success began in 1993 when he, along with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, met at a Denny’s location in Northern California to brainstorm a chip that could enable realistic 3D graphics on personal computers. At the time, Huang was working as an engineer at LSI Logic, but it was the Denny’s meeting that laid the foundation for what would become Nvidia. “My first job before CEO was a dishwasher,” he later said, “And I did that very well.” [1]

Reflecting on his leadership philosophy, Huang emphasizes humility and a flat organizational structure. He believes a CEO should have the most direct reports—currently 50—and insists no task is beneath him. “I used to clean toilets,” he said. “I’ve cleaned more toilets than all of you combined.” This work ethic, rooted in his early years at Denny’s, has influenced his approach to leadership at Nvidia [1].

Nvidia’s market performance has been remarkable. A 46% stock surge in February 2024 propelled the company past Amazon in market value, briefly making it the third most valuable U.S. company. However, some analysts have raised concerns about whether the stock’s rapid growth reflects overvaluation. Apollo Global Management has warned of an “AI bubble” potentially exceeding the scale of the 1990s tech bubble [1].

Despite his success, Huang remains grounded in his origins. His story continues to inspire, not only for its meteoric rise but also for the values of discipline, perseverance, and innovation that underpin it.

Source: [1] How Nvidia’s billionaire CEO went from Denny’s dishwasher to leading a company with a $4.3 trillion market cap (https://fortune.com/article/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-dennys-dishwasher-most-powerful-person-business/)