Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang shared a deeply personal leadership lesson rooted in his childhood experiences with his mother. In a recent talk with the Cambridge Union, Huang reflected on how his mother’s determination and resourcefulness shaped his approach to challenges—both personally and professionally. Born in Taiwan, Huang moved with his family to Thailand before being sent to the United States at age nine for better educational opportunities. His mother, who spoke only Taiwanese Hokkien and did not understand English, began teaching him the language using nothing but a piece of paper and a dictionary. Despite not being able to read English herself, she committed to helping her son adapt to a new country and language. “I approach almost everything from the perspective of, ‘How hard can it be?’” Huang said, explaining that his mother’s example became a lifelong philosophy. “In a lot of ways, that kind of defines Nvidia, kind of defines me.” Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led the company to a public listing in 1999. The company’s recent surge, driven by the AI boom, has pushed its valuation to $5 trillion. Known for his hands-on management style and emphasis on open communication, Huang has up to 36 direct reports, a rare level of engagement in the tech world. He acknowledged that the path to success was not easy—facing challenges like being a first-time CEO, raising capital, and writing a business plan for the first time. “Staying in the game is in fact most of it,” he said. “I was able to do what I'm doing today because I didn't get bored and I didn't get fired. That I think was the magic, all of it. It's 100% of it.” Huang’s story echoes that of other tech leaders whose values were shaped by their parents. Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, has credited his father’s relentless work ethic on books and scientific papers for instilling a deep sense of dedication. Similarly, Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, has spoken about his immigrant parents, who worked multiple jobs in the U.S., including his mother’s long hours at a Chinese restaurant. “I got to see that a bit, washing dishes on the side with her,” Xu said in a 2020 interview, underscoring the value of hard work and sacrifice.