How Nvidia's billionaire CEO Jensen Huang won over his wife during college

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the VinFuture Prize Award 2024. Photo courtesy of VinFuture Prize's Facebook

"I was the youngest kid in school, in class. There were 250 students and three girls," Huang shared. He recalled being the only student who "looked like a child," but he turned his youthful appearance into an advantage, approaching Lori in the hope she would see him as smart and ambitious.

"I walked up to her and said, ‘Do you want to see my homework?’" he recalled. He then proposed a deal that would set the tone for their relationship: "If you do homework with me every Sunday, I promise you, you will get straight As."

His charm and confidence worked, earning him regular Sunday study dates with her. Huang’s ambition cemented her faith in him when he promised to become a CEO by 30. He later earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University and fulfilled his vow in 1993, co-founding Nvidia at the age of 30.

The couple married five years after meeting at Oregon State University and have two children: Madison, Nvidia’s marketing director, and Spencer, a product manager at the company.

Jensen Huang and wife Lori Mills. Photo courtesy of Oregon State University's Facebook

Huang, now 61, is the chairman, CEO of Nvidia, the world’s largest chipmaker, valued at over $3.5 trillion. The Taiwan-born CEO ranks as the world’s 11th richest person, with an estimated net worth of $124 billion, according to Business Insider.

Huang is known for his signature style of black leather jackets, casual T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers—a minimalist wardrobe he has maintained for over two decades. In an interview, he credited his wife and daughter for shaping this distinctive look. He further explained that this practical wardrobe saves him time and allows him to focus on other priorities, as reported by Dan Tri.

His pragmatic approach to life is deeply rooted in his philosophy of living in the present. "Very few people know this, but I don’t wear a watch. The reason I don’t is that now is the most important time," he shared, as reported by The Indian Express.