At a San Francisco conference, I watched Jensen Huang speak 9 days before resignation; two things stand out now

A different jacket

At the San Francisco conference, Huang appeared in a dark fabric zip-up rather than the black leather jacket associated with his public image. The observer, seated near the front, initially found the change amusing.

After revelations about alleged extramarital affairs and claims involving a possible Chinese spy, the observer wondered whether the clothing change had meaning. The account says the initial allegations were public by November 3.

Huang’s management structure

He said he designed the arrangement more than 30 years earlier, as personal computers and email were changing business. He wanted information to move freely and executives to have authority to make decisions.

Teams built around projects

Huang contrasted his approach with a conventional hierarchy. He said that with only two or three direct reports, those executives would each have had greater experience and responsibility; with 60, each oversaw a smaller part of Nvidia.

Rather than relying on orders from the top, Huang said executives had substantial freedom to make decisions and work together. Nvidia organized around projects, with teams changing as needed.

A closing reflection

The talk ended on a poignant note. Looking back, the observer said they could not help wondering whether Huang knew that something was about to happen.