Tech author Gergely Orosz‘s visit to Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) headquarters last month revealed the company’s unique approach to tech culture and operations.
An ex-engineer at Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and Microsoft Corporation‘s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Skype, Orosz took to X to share a thread on several observations that offer a rare glimpse into how the AI giant operates differently from other tech companies.
Contrary to many Big Tech companies, Nvidia charges its employees for snacks and coffee. One developer humorously told Orosz, “We use this thing called salary to buy stuff we actually need.”
Another distinctive feature is the presence of dedicated offices for AI startups like OpenAI’s Codex within Nvidia’s premises. These startups hold office hours for Nvidia employees, an uncommon practice in other tech companies.
“The Codex team is v popular here btw as I heard!” wrote the tech author.
The Boomerang Employee Culture
Next, Orosz revealed that the work culture at Nvidia is also unique. Employees, both developers and non-developers, display a blend of positivity, focus, confidence, and relaxation. The concept of “boomeranging”, or returning to Nvidia after working elsewhere, is common.
“Average tenure seems high. Switching teams easy,” Orosz wrote, adding that Nvidia encourages team mobility and invests in its employees’ learning and development.
He also stated that the team he spoke to operated with a nimbleness and speed often associated with startups, rather than a public company. “I’m just not used to seeing this inside a public company,” the ex-engineer noted.
Finally, the influence of CEO Jensen Huang and his constant presence played a significant role in shaping the company’s culture and operations.
“Jensen comes up every few minutes. He seems to be such a big driving force behind a lot of things there,” Orosz wrote.
Jensen Huang’s People-First Leadership
Nvidia’s distinctive approach to tech culture can be traced back to Huang’s leadership style. In a March interview, Huang discussed the concept of "extreme co-design," a holistic approach to optimizing the entire software stack. This approach is reflected in NVIDIA’s operations, emphasizing the importance of distributing the workload to maximize benefits.
Huang also expressed his belief that employees should be paid as much as possible, reflecting NVIDIA’s investment in its employees’ development. He had previously said he had “created more billionaires” on his management team than any other CEO. He also revealed that he personally reviews compensation for all 42,000 employees, often increasing pay, saying that taking care of employees ultimately benefits the company.
Contrasting Cultures in Big Tech
Former Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) executives Chris Walti, the former Optimus lead, and Gene Berdichevsky, one of Tesla’s earliest employees, described working under Elon Musk as intense but highly rewarding. Walti praised Tesla’s minimal bureaucracy and fast decision-making, while Berdichevsky said the culture fostered “radical self-reliance” rather than a typical 9-to-5 job. Both acknowledged the immense pressure, with Berdichevsky noting Musk’s short temper and unforgiving expectations despite past successes.
Meanwhile, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) CTO Andrew Bosworth said the company would improve office snacks and beverages to lift employee morale after layoffs. X product executive Nikita Bier mocked the move, inviting “neglected” Meta engineers to join X, promising to match or exceed Meta’s snack budget while advertising engineering jobs.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
Login to comment