Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is giving back on one of the most popular pieces of career advice: ‘Find what you love’. In a candid interview on Norges Bank Investment Management’s in Good Company podcast, Huang believes that passion is not a prerequisite for success, it is something that can grow via commitment and effort. “It’s hard to find something that you love, but it’s easier to fall in love with what you’re doing,” Huang said. “Once you fall in love with what you’re doing because you desperately want to do a good job at it, it’s easier to do it well and work hard.”

From dish pit to Silicon Valley

Huang’s philosophy is rooted in personal experience. Huang started working from the age of 15 and was washing dishes at Denny’s followed by stints as a busboy and waiter. Huang also credits those early roles with teaching him discipline, humility and resilience and says that he genuinely enjoyed each one. “I loved it when I was a dishwasher. I loved it when I was a busboy. I loved it when I was delivering papers,” he recalled. “I’ve loved every single job that I’ve ever had.”

He feels that this mindset has carried through his journey at Nvidia, where Huang co-founded the company in 1993 and led it from a graphics chip startup to a global leader in AI infrastructure. Huang’s belief in falling in love with the work itself rather than waiting for passion to strike has become a guiding principle for many in the tech industry.

A message resonating across Silicon Valley

The comments made by Huang have drawn praise from other tech leaders such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk who amplified clips of the interview and commended Huang’s work ethic. In an era where AI is transforming industries and redefining career paths, Huang’s advice offers a grounded alternative to the romanticised notion of chasing passion.His approach also reflects Nvidia’s own trajectory: a company that has thrived by embracing hard problems, iterating through setbacks, and staying committed to long-term goals. Huang says that loving the task at hand—whether it’s washing dishes or designing chips—makes it easier to endure challenges and excel.