Former employees revealed new details to Business Insider about the Nvidia CEO’s email communication style after insiders recently told The New Yorker that Huang’s memos were like a Japanese haiku.
Three former Nvidia employees said Huang’s emails are typically concise, no longer than six lines, and he expects people to get to the point.
One likened it to a short “TL;DR approach,” meaning “too long; I did not read “. The former Nvidia employee said: “It was explained from the beginning that it had to be a staccato type of email, and the whole company operated like that – not just Jensen.”
A former Nvidia executive said it was a way to “promote the crystallization of priorities and thinking.”
He told BI: “You would get in trouble if you sent him a very long email. Nvidia’s emails are double-spaced, one sentence per line, and probably no more than five or six lines.
He added: “The idea was to define what you had to say, send it, and if he or others need more information, then it’s a conversation, not another e- mail.”
The former executive said it was essential to identify key points to grab people’s attention. This is a useful communication technique that summarizes complex topics quickly, but may not be easy.
People BI spoke with said “Nvidians” should email Huang and their managers the top five priorities they’re working on each week to help people focus.
Another person said the lists helped Huang get a “quick check” on what was happening at the company. This sometimes led him to suggest that employees from different departments or regions discuss and collaborate on challenges.
The expectation of a well-written email is reminiscent of the six-page memo from Jeff Bezos that Amazon staff passes around at the start of a meeting. Bezos said memos are read silently and are used to better formulate ideas.
Nvidia declined to comment.
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