Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has revealed that he personally reviews the compensation of all 42,000 employees at the company during every pay cycle.
Speaking on the widely followed All-In Podcast, Jensen explained that this hands-on approach is central to his management philosophy.
He said, “I review everybody’s compensation, up to this day, at the end of every cycle. They send me everybody’s recommended comp. I go through the whole company”.
While most large corporations delegate compensation decisions to HR departments or automated systems, Jensen relies on machine learning tools to sort through the data efficiently, but the final decisions remain his.
He emphasized that this practice is not just about oversight—it’s about taking care of people, a principle he believes drives long-term success: “If you take care of people, everything else takes care of itself”.
Nvidia Operating Expenses Reflect Commitment to Talent
Jensen’s approach has consistently led to increased spending on operating expenses (OpEx), particularly in employee compensation.
“100% of the time, I increased the company’s spend on OpEx,” he stated, reinforcing his belief that investing in people yields returns across innovation, retention, and performance.
This philosophy appears to be paying off. Nvidia has become the first publicly traded company to cross a $4 trillion market capitalization, overtaking tech giants like Microsoft and Apple.
The company’s meteoric rise has been fueled by its dominance in the AI chip market, with its GPUs powering leading models such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Meta LLaMA.
Wealth Creation Across the Workforce
Jensen’s compensation strategy has had a tangible impact on employee wealth.
According to a survey cited by financial analyst Jesse Cohen, 76–78% of Nvidia employees are now millionaires, with nearly half having a net worth exceeding $25 million.
Much of this wealth is attributed to Nvidia’s employee stock purchase program, which allows staff to buy shares at a 15% discount.
Jensen also addressed speculation about a “secret stock option pool” for high performers with a light-hearted tone, reaffirming his commitment to fair and competitive rewards across all levels.
“I’ve created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world. They’re doing just fine. Don’t feel sad for anybody at my layer,” he quipped.
Small Teams, Big Impact
Beyond compensation, Jensen advocates for small, well-funded teams as a model for innovation.
He cited examples like OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek, both of which began with around 150 researchers and went on to achieve global impact.
“If you’re willing to pay $20 billion to buy a startup with 150 AI researchers, why wouldn’t you pay one?” he asked, underscoring the value of focused, empowered teams.
This belief has guided Nvidia’s internal structure and external partnerships, reinforcing the idea that talent investment—not just technology—is the cornerstone of sustainable growth.
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