In a recent discussion at Startup School 2026, Jensen Huang, the Founder and CEO of NVIDIA, opened up about the key moments and guiding principles that helped his company become a leader in modern computing and artificial intelligence. During his talk with Garry Tan, the President and CEO of Y Combinator, Huang reflected on NVIDIA’s early challenges, the important choice to change their technology direction, and the persistent mindset that has fueled their success.
### Learning from Mistakes
Huang shared that NVIDIA initially took a misstep by pursuing the wrong technology. “We started with the wrong technology,” he admitted, pointing out a crucial moment when the company faced serious challenges. In a surprising twist, the solution lay in textbooks bought from Fry’s Electronics. This act of focusing on learning and adapting was vital for the company’s survival and eventual progress.
