“It turns out it’s just really hard work” – The Nvidia Way
I read Reentry by Eric Berger and The Nvidia Way by Tae Kim between Christmas and New Years. What a kick start for the new year!
There is a lot of debate on what makes a great CEO, but in these cases, it’s pretty simple:
Relentless execution and comparison to what’s possible, not what has been done.
At Nvidia, they call this “Moving at the speed of light”. This refers to being limited by physics, not the past. If chips in the past took 2-3 years to develop — why was that, and what could be done to shorten the cycle? What physically prevents you from doing this in 18 months?
A SpaceX, this is Musk’s famous “first principles thinking”. 20 years ago, he asked, if the raw materials and fuel that go into a rocket cost $5 million, then why do they cost $150 million? What are the physical limits?
“Because that’s the way it is done” is not an adequate answer.
The first quote is from engineers Nvidia hired from 3dfx, a failed competitor. When they got to Nvidia, they were expecting, or hoping, there was some secret sauce. Some secret technology. Something that allowed them to execute so well and so quickly.
There wasn’t. It was “just” hard work.
– Spencer
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