Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia, has emerged as one of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence development, wielding both market power and political access. At a live AI summit in Los Angeles last week, Huang received a call from President Donald Trump over speakerphone. Trump told Huang he endorsed his stance and dismissed AI safety warnings as "a hoax", saying "I'm with you all the way … We're going to lead."
Huang had just criticised several prominent AI figures for their "doomsday" predictions. The exchange reflects what analysts describe as a carefully forged relationship. "Huang has been extremely savvy in cultivating a close personal relationship with Trump," said Samuel Hammond, director of Artificial Intelligence Policy and chief economist at the Foundation for American Innovation. "Trump, for his part, respects power and business success. Trump likes 'winners'."
Last year, Huang revealed to media that Trump often called him late at night. The relationship has yielded tangible access: earlier this year, Huang joined Trump's delegation to China after a last-minute phone call from the president when he noticed Huang had not been invited. This week, Huang attended a White House state dinner hosted for Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Nvidia's ambitions loomed large among a long list of tech titans.
Huang has urged Washington to lift restrictions on sales of advanced AI chips to China, arguing that keeping Nvidia out only accelerates Beijing's shift toward homegrown chips. He contends that American firms should compete aggressively in global markets and accelerate development to preserve their edge over China, rather than being slowed by stricter safety regulation.
Born in Taiwan and raised in Thailand, Huang described a strict upbringing by Taiwanese parents to whom "nothing is ever good enough" and whose criticism was relentless. He said this highly "torturous" education helped build his resilience.