Jensen Huang, the 62-year-old CEO and co-founder of Nvidia, has revealed that he works seven days a week while living in a perpetual “state of anxiety” about the company going bankrupt. Despite Nvidia becoming the world’s most valuable company with a market capitalization of $4.4 trillion, Huang maintains an exhausting work schedule that includes waking at 4 a.m. to read thousands of emails daily.
The Relentless Grind
In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Huang described how he has maintained this mindset for over three decades, constantly viewing Nvidia as being “30 days from going out of business.” He works every moment he’s awake, including holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, stating that the feeling of vulnerability and insecurity “doesn’t leave you” even as Nvidia reported record third-quarter revenue of $57 billion. “It’s exhausting,” Huang admitted, acknowledging the toll of this constant anxiety-driven approach.
A Different Leadership Philosophy
Not all tech leaders embrace this all-consuming work mentality. Karri Saarinen, CEO of project management startup Linear, built a $1.25 billion company by prioritizing employee wellness and work-life balance. Linear’s 100 employees work standard 40-hour weeks with five weeks of paid time off annually and four months of paid parental leave. Saarinen himself works 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., demonstrating that success doesn’t require self-sacrifice. He believes quality work surpasses quantity, suggesting that balance leads to happier, more fulfilled employees and better outcomes.