The Impact of Nvidia CEO: Is He the ‘Taylor Swift of Tech’?

These Days, Wherever Jensen Huang Goes, Crowds Chant His Name and Scramble for Selfies and Autographs.

He’s not your typical celebrity. The 61-year-old electrical engineer is the CEO of Nvidia, the chip powerhouse that recently surged past a $3 trillion valuation (£2.3 trillion), briefly overtaking Apple as the world’s second-most valuable company before retracting slightly.

“Jensen is being treated like a rock star,” says tech analyst Bob O’Donnell. “He sees this moment to expand Nvidia and is clearly relishing the spotlight.”

Huang’s new-found status, complete with a $9,000 Tom Ford biker jacket, was on full display this week at Computex in Taiwan, the annual tech conference that attracts the world’s biggest companies.

Born in Taiwan, Huang moved away at five years old. At Computex, he posed for countless pictures and even autographed a woman’s top, humorously questioning if it was a “good idea.” Local media dubbed the frenzy “Jensanity.”

Meanwhile, US regulators are reportedly considering investigating big tech, including Nvidia, for its dominance in the AI industry. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, comparing Huang to Taylor Swift for tech, noted Huang’s rising fame in response to a social media follower.

What’s Fueling the ‘Jensanity’?

Huang is at the helm of a tech boom, with Nvidia emerging as a leader in AI chip design. Taiwanese chip giant TSMC, the exclusive producer of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips, has also benefited, hitting record highs in share value.

The high-end chip market, especially for AI, has become a geopolitical hotbed as the US and China compete for production mastery. Taiwan currently leads in producing the world’s most advanced chips, making it a focal point in this technological race.

This buzz around Huang and Nvidia is a point of pride for Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. Taiwan’s chip exports have become crucial both economically and diplomatically, amidst growing tensions with China.

“In Taiwan, he’s the local boy made good,” O’Donnell remarks. “It’s something people can rally around.”

Despite living in Santa Clara, California, where Nvidia is headquartered, Huang frequently visits Taiwan, emphasizing continued investment in the island. This week, he announced plans for regional headquarters in Taiwan, reassuring the island amid concerns about chip production moving overseas.

The Secret Behind Nvidia’s Tech Stardom

Nvidia has been catapulted into tech superstardom as AI and the chips that power it become as coveted as any new gadget. Huang has been the face of Nvidia’s chip launches, often compared to Apple’s high-profile events.

At Nvidia’s last big conference in San Jose, the stadium was packed, with long lines of people unable to get in. In Taiwan, he delivered a two-hour speech on the company’s history in a sports stadium, which O’Donnell humorously likened to an arena tour.

Who is Jensen Huang?

Huang is known for his love of leather jackets, a signature style credited to his wife and daughter. Nvidia confirms he’s been wearing one for over two decades, including his latest pick from Tom Ford’s 2023 season, which he even sported in humid Singapore.

“Leather jackets signal an edge: a willingness to break rules, challenge the status quo,” says fashion stylist Sera Murphy. “Jensen’s style gives him a casual, approachable energy.”

Uniform dressing among tech CEOs is not uncommon. Apple’s Steve Jobs was known for his black mock turtleneck, blue Levi’s, and New Balance trainers, while Zuckerberg favors plain sweaters and t-shirts from luxury brands. Murphy explains that consistent dressing helps entrepreneurs project stability in a volatile market.

Beyond his leather jacket, Huang fits the tech geek archetype. Moving to the US West Coast at nine, he graduated with an electrical engineering degree from Oregon State University and a master’s from Stanford. He married his college sweetheart and lab partner, Lori Mills, also an electrical engineer. They have two children.

After working at AMD, Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993, initially focusing on graphics processing chips for computer games. The company later shifted to AI, now a dominant field for Nvidia.

Interest in AI soared with the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, trained using 10,000 Nvidia GPUs in a supercomputer. This milestone propelled Nvidia into the elite club of US companies worth over $1 trillion, alongside Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft. Nvidia is now the world’s third-most valuable company after Microsoft and Apple.

Huang’s personal net worth is around $106 billion, ranking him the 14th richest person globally. O’Donnell predicts Huang will continue appearing at events to promote Nvidia.

“At tech conferences, everyone wants Jensen on stage and he’s eager to participate. He’s established himself as the face of generative AI,” says O’Donnell. “The industry, however, is wary of monopolies. Nvidia holds a significant market share, but competitors like AMD and Intel are catching up.”