Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most famous figures in tech goes through life without checking the clock. But there’s a method to Huang’s madness, most likely a cell phone that he can use to monitor the current time.
“Few people know this, but I don’t wear a watch,” he said at the 2023 American Chinese Semiconductor Professionals Association.
As Nvidia continues its winning streak, it might be especially easy to stay in the moment. Demand remains so high that Nvidia now produces new AI chips every year. The company announced Wednesday that second-quarter revenue was nearly $28 billion, beating expectations. Axios pointed out that Nvidia has solidified itself as a giant to be reckoned with, with profits in the first quarter of 2024 surpassing other large companies such as Amazon and JPMorgan Chase.
Of course, while Huang tries to stay in the present, the nature of his job means he’s always looking toward the future. When it comes to wafers, the company “expects[s] Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said demand may exceed supply next year.
Nvidia’s continued success has only fueled claims that artificial intelligence will transform the future of technology. “The next industrial revolution has begun,” he said on a conference call. “Artificial intelligence will deliver significant productivity gains in nearly every industry, helping companies improve cost and energy efficiency while expanding revenue opportunities.”
But even though his industry is demanding, Huang tries to stay above the competition. After all, that’s why he’s been at the helm for so long, serving as CEO for 31 years since co-founding the company in 1993. I’m focusing on that now. “I enjoy my job,” he said, according to Tom’s Hardware.
The idiosyncrasy of the clock isn’t Wong’s only uniform quirk. The wrist-baring executive began wearing all-black outfits, often paired with a black leather jacket. A spokesman told the outlet he had worn the jackets for “at least 20 years” New York Times. This is part of his imitation matrix– a nostalgic style that creates a sense of continuity and (expensive) simplicity that some have compared to the turtlenecks that became synonymous with Steve Jobs.
If nothing else, Huang’s decision not to wear a watch could make him a bigger presence in the tech world.
Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos expressed this sentiment early in his career: You are only as good as your last move. “I believe our customers will stay loyal to us until someone else provides them with better service,” he told CNET’s Wendy Walsh in 1999.
