Don’t ask Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for the time; he isn’t keeping it.
It’s perhaps surprising that one of the tech world’s most prominent figures is going through life without checking the clock. But there’s a method to Huang’s madness, and likely a phone where he keeps tabs on what hour it is.
“Very few people know this, but I don’t wear a watch,” he said at the Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association in 2023. “Now is the most important time, just dedicate yourself to now,” Huang declared.
It might be especially easy to stay in the now as Nvidia continues its winning streak. Demand remains so high that Nvidia is now set to make new AI chips on a yearly basis. The company announced Wednesday that its second-quarter revenue hit almost $28 billion, exceeding projections. Solidifying itself as a giant to be reckoned with, Nvidia profited more during the first quarter of 2024 than other big names like Amazon and JPMorgan, notes Axios.
Of course, while Huang is trying to stay in the moment, the nature of his job means he’s always looking to the future. When it comes to chips, the company “expect[s] demand may exceed supply well into the next year,” Nvidia CFO Colette Kress said.
Nvidia’s continued success only fuels the narrative that AI is set to change the future of technology. “The next industrial revolution has begun,” he said in a conference call. “AI will bring significant productivity gains to nearly every industry and help companies be more cost- and energy-efficient, while expanding revenue opportunities.”
But even if his sector is demanding, Huang is trying to stay above the fray. That’s how he’s been at the helm for so long, after all, serving 31 years in the CEO role after cofounding the company 1993. “I don’t have a watch. I’m focused on now. I’m enjoying my job,” he said, as Tom’s Hardware reported.
And a timepiece particularity isn’t the only quirk that Huang has when it comes to his uniform. The bare-wristed CEO has taken to donning an all-black fit usually capped off with a black leather jacket. He’s been wearing these jackets “for at least 20 years,” a spokesperson told the New York Times. It’s part of his knock-off Matrix-reminiscent style, creating a continuity and (pricey) simplicity that some compare to the turtleneck that became synonymous with Steve Jobs.
Looks aside, Huang’s choice to go sans watch might have greater legs in the tech world.
Early on in his career, Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, echoed the sentiment that you’re only as good as your last move. “I believe that our customers are loyal to us right up until the second that somebody else offers them better service,” he said in a 1999 interview with CNET’s Wendy Walsh.