Kamal Ghorui
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has shared how he manages a team of more than 60 employees who report directly to him. In a recent podcast, he said he primarily oversees engineers at the US chip giant with expertise in CPUs, GPUs, algorithms, and design, and that he prefers group problem-solving over individual meetings. Speaking on a podcast with Lex Fridman, Huang explained that his leadership approach focuses on collaborative discussions rather than traditional one-on-one interactions.“I don’t have one-on-ones with them because it’s impossible. We present a problem, and all of us attack it,” Huang said. He described Nvidia’s workflow as “extreme co-design,” where team members are expected to contribute when relevant.
“Whoever wants to tune out, tune out. The people who are on the staff, they know when to pay attention,” Huang noted. He also added that he is willing to call out employees if they do not contribute in areas where they are expected to.
What Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said about not having one-on-one meetings
Huang earlier said he prefers avoiding one-on-one meetings and instead addresses teams collectively so everyone has access to the same information and can contribute to problem-solving.He noted that daily meetings often involve his direct reports working through issues as a group. This approach is similar to that of Steve Jobs, who encouraged open debate and discussion in meetings.“The nice thing about reasoning through things and letting people interact with it is that they don’t have to disagree with your outcome. They can disagree with your reasoning steps,” Huang said at the podcast.Huang also questioned traditional organisational models, including what he described as the “hamburger style,” in which senior leadership sits at the top, middle management in the middle, and other employees at the bottom.“They all look the same, and it doesn’t make any sense to me,” Huang noted.His direct reports include a mix of C-suite executives, including technology and finance leaders, as well as senior and executive vice presidents across key divisions at Nvidia, a previous Business Insider report noted.Speaking earlier at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2024, Huang said CEOs should have more direct reports, as they are in a position to “lead other people to achieve greatness, inspire, and empower other people.”
