Since 2019, NVIDIA's stocks have surged by 3776% (largely due to sales of the primary chip essential for AI systems), resulting in many employees becoming wealthy, yet they continue to experience work-related stress.
Ten anonymous employees who spoke with Bloomberg reported that they have little time for travel and leisure activities due to heavy workloads, which are exacerbated by a chaotic organizational structure. A single manager may oversee dozens of direct reports, and rather than reducing staff, CEO Jensen Huang prefers to "push employees to their limits for the sake of excellence."
“That’s how it should be,” Huang stated about his demanding management style in a recent interview with “60 Minutes.” “If you want to do extraordinary things, it shouldn’t be easy.”
One former corporate client support specialist at NVIDIA revealed that he was required to work seven days a week—often until one or two in the morning (while colleagues reportedly put in even longer hours). He described the environment as a "sweatshop," but added that he was in no rush to leave the company due to the substantial salary.
Another former marketing employee who left NVIDIA in 2022 mentioned that she attended 7-10 meetings a day with over 30 participants—and the atmosphere was often filled with "yelling and bickering." Similar to the previous interviewee, she endured it all for the chance to become even wealthier.
In 2023, 5.3% of the workforce departed the company; however, turnover rates dropped to 2.7% once NVIDIA's valuation crossed the $1 trillion mark. Those who attempted to take a more relaxed approach were severely criticized, according to sources from the publication, with complaints being directly relayed to Huang.
Interestingly, the company "veterans" are not eager to retire, despite having made enough money—possibly waiting for the next stock grant, speculate anonymous employees. It's worth noting that NVIDIA has a dedicated employee stock purchase plan, which has enabled some individuals to amass millionaire fortunes.
A former NVIDIA engineer added that in 2023-2024, employees at nearly all levels of experience became wealthy, and he frequently overheard colleagues discussing buying new homes while browsing the real estate site Zillow.
A current product manager at NVIDIA shared that there is a dedicated Slack channel where thousands of employees exchange financial advice. This group specifically caters to those who hold company stocks—the ones who sold their shares before the peak are notably absent from the chat.
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