Technology company Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) -) ushered in the popularity of its graphic processing unit in 1999. Its founders built the company to meet a growing need for advanced computing. Now, thanks to its specialization in designing computer chips in accelerating graphics, Nvidia has become a valuable asset in the eyes of certain traders focusing on the company’s hardware and software in artificial intelligence. But who is the company’s CEO Jensen Huang? What is the Nvidia CEO’s net worth?
Who is Nvidia founder Jensen Huang?
Jen-Hsun Huang, who uses the first name Jensen, is a founder of Nvidia, a maker of computer software and hardware that have become critical in the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Born in Taiwan in 1963, Huang moved to the U.S. at an early age. He studied electrical engineering as an undergraduate at Oregon State University and continued on to his master’s degree at Stanford University, where he graduated in 1992.
Huang was a microprocessor designer at semiconductor maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) -) from 1983 to 1985. He also worked at computer chipmaker LSI Logic Corporation from 1985 to 1993. At one point, he served as director for a unit that oversaw LSI’s system-on-a-chip (SOC) program.
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What is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s net worth?
As of early December 2023, Huang’s net worth was approximately $42 billion.
Huang’s net worth is mainly tied to the shares he holds in Nvidia. Huang directly owns 8 million shares, and 78.7 million shares are held in trusts and a partnership with family members as of September 2023, based on a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
As Nvidia’s stock price has risen significantly since 1993, so has Huang’s net worth.
Huang’s 86.7 million shares, held directly and indirectly, as of September 2023 represented 3.5% of Nvidia’s outstanding shares, which would make him the biggest individual stockholder. Four institutional investors — the Vanguard Group and BlackRock, among them — hold more shares than Huang does.
A real-time capture of Nvidia founder Jensen Huang’s wealth based only on his stake in Nvidia can be found here.
When did Jensen Huang join Nvidia?
Huang has served as president, chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors since Nvidia’s inception in 1993. He's one of the founding members of the company.
What is Nvidia?
Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia was founded by Huang and two other engineers who were also experienced in computer parts design and manufacturing. Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem co-founded the company with Huang in 1993. At a Denny’s restaurant in Silicon Valley, they drew up the idea of creating a processing unit for use in 3D applications, and in 1999, they created the graphic-processing unit (GPU), which was added to a computer to accelerate the functions of graphics. The GPU ushered in the popularity of PC gaming.
Today, the company’s portfolio of businesses extends beyond GPU production. Around the 2010s, Huang believed that AI would be feasible as computational power picked up, and there would be a need for processing the algorithms and complex calculations needed to run AI programs. The company started developing software and hardware that helped to power the artificial intelligence used in ChatGPT.
Investors caught up in the AI frenzy have turned to the niche players involved in AI development, including Nvidia, whose shares have risen significantly since 2021. Nvidia dominates the market in making computer chips for AI.
How has Nvidia’s stock performed under CEO Jensen Huang?
Nvidia started trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 1999 at the height of the internet frenzy. Like so many other companies at the time, demand for shares at the initial public offering soared but then turned lower around 2001 when interest in the technology sector fizzled with the dot-com bust. Nvidia’s shares saw a steady climb through the 2010s but did not pick up significantly until 2021.
A $10,000 investment just after its January 1999 IPO would return an investor $5.7 million at the end of November 2023, after accounting for stock splits. During the first 11 months in 2023, the stock gained 227%.
What is Jensen Huang’s salary as Nvidia CEO?
Huang was paid a base salary of $1 million in 2022 but also received $2 million in cash and stock incentives for meeting targets. This pushed his total compensation to $25 million that year. Huang has likely been awarded significant amounts of restricted stock units (RSUs) over the years. As those units vest and turn into common stock, Huang’s wealth increases.
How does Jensen Huang make his money?
Huang makes his money from the base salary he earns each year and from the incentives he receives, in cash and in RSUs, for achieving Nvidia’s internal targets. Dividends also contribute to his wealth. In 2022, Nvidia’s dividend payment totaled 16 cents a share, which translates to a dividend payout to Huang of almost $14 million, based on his holdings of 86.7 million shares.
Among assets outside of his Nvidia stock holdings, Huang reportedly owns a mansion nestled along San Francisco’s Billionaire’s Row, near the Presidio. Listings on property marketplace Zillow show that homes there have sold for more than $40 million.
How does Jensen Huang spend his money?
Huang and his wife have donated some of their money to charity and other philanthropic ventures. In 2019, a new building of a high school in Kentucky where he attended was dedicated in his name. He has also donated millions of dollars to his alma mater, Oregon State University. A 2019 filing for private foundations with the Internal Revenue Service showed that the Jen-Hsun & Lori Huang Foundation, which he started with his wife to fund education initiatives, made more than $17 million in contributions and gifts.
Are Jensen Huang and Lisa Su related?
Lisa Su is the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, and she has said that she and Huang are distant relatives. A report from a Taiwanese newspaper, “China Daily News,” showed that Su’s mother, also born in Taiwan, and Huang are first cousins.
Is Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang a billionaire?
Huang’s billionaire status ($41.8 billion as of December 2023) comes from the Nvidia shares he owns. As of October 2023, “Forbes” listed him as the 17th richest person in the U.S.
