The chief executive of the world's most valuable chipmaker, Jensen Huang, was treated like a global rockstar during a recent visit to San Francisco, highlighting his newfound status as the undisputed face of the artificial intelligence revolution.
A video that went viral on social media captured the moment Mr. Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, was swarmed by a crowd of eager fans seeking selfies and autographs on a street in the city's bustling Presidio neighbourhood. The scene was more akin to the reception for a major pop star than a technology executive, underscoring the immense cultural and financial impact of the AI boom he helped catalyse.
This public adoration is a direct reflection of Nvidia's staggering financial performance. The company's market valuation is now flirting with the $3 trillion mark, briefly eclipsing tech behemoth Apple this week. This monumental growth is almost solely driven by its critical role as the primary supplier of the powerful processors required to build and run advanced AI systems, like the ChatGPT platform from OpenAI.
Mr. Huang's personal fortune has skyrocketed in tandem with his company's success. He is now ranked as the 13th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $117 billion.
The viral reception in San Francisco stands in stark contrast to the political climate in the United States. As the nation gears up for the 2024 presidential election, a recent poll indicated that a conviction in his criminal trial might not significantly damage Donald Trump's chances of returning to the White House.
Nevertheless, for an evening in San Francisco, the focus was not on politics but on the celebrity status bestowed upon a tech pioneer whose hardware is fundamentally reshaping the modern world.
