Why Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says 'May You Experience a Lot of Suffering'

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said elite academic credentials are not necessarily the best predictor of future success, arguing that “greatness” is driven by grit—formed through enduring hardship rather than inherent intelligence.

In remarks to students and in discussions of hiring, Huang emphasized perseverance, resolve, and tenacity as core workplace traits that support innovation. He also warned that high expectations after graduation from prestigious universities can make some people less adaptable when they face failure or adversity.

The importance of resilience

Huang told students that resilience plays an “extremely important role in success,” adding that he does not know how to teach the skill except by hoping students encounter real difficulties in life. He linked resilience to real-world experience and said employers should look beyond university prestige to evaluate internal skills such as critical thinking and decisiveness.

Within Nvidia, Huang has used the phrase “pain and suffering” in a positive way, saying it helps refine the company’s identity and supports the pursuit of “greatness.” He also said earlier in 2011 that without the ability to endure failure, people will not dare to experiment—and without experimentation, innovation and success are harder to achieve.

Hiring philosophy: grit over credentials

The approach Huang described aligns with a long-standing Wall Street hiring view of selecting candidates from the “PHD” group—poor, hungry, and driven. Both perspectives prioritize ambition and grit over academic credentials, with the belief that people who have overcome hardship, financial difficulties, or personal trauma may bring stronger intrinsic motivation and perseverance.

The article also cited technology leaders who achieved major success without completing elite university pathways: Apple co-founders Steve Jobs (who dropped out of Reed College after one semester) and Steve Wozniak (who did not finish college at the time), Microsoft founder Bill Gates (who left Harvard), and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has said he valued “grit” more than the name of the school attended.

How employers can identify grit

To recruit highly driven candidates, the article said employers often look for indicators that a person is willing to take responsibility for failure rather than blaming others. Structured interviews may focus on work history, overcoming obstacles, a passion for learning, and the ability to take feedback.

Behavioral questions typically explore how candidates react to mistakes and their long-term goals. Hiring managers, the article noted, look for resilience signals such as admitting errors and outlining how to improve next time. Candidates who reflect on what happened and present a clear plan for doing things differently next time demonstrate adaptability and learning from failure—traits described as essential for perseverance.

Source: Forbes