firstadopter

Read my comment above on the Isaacson comparison. His focus is very different than mine. I wanted to write a serious and substantive business history of Nvidia and explore why it became successful.

Chris gave me an amazing book recommendation and blurb. I'm humbled and grateful. He was the first external validation of the book.

I interviewed over 100 people directly including Jensen, the two other cofounders, the two original VC investors and dozens of current/former employees. Nvidia cooperated with the book and facilitated interviews.

The book was written after Acquired podcasts.

NO. I'm the real Tae Kim.

I'm sure there are MBAs at Nvidia too, but what I found interesting is the vast majority of dozens of Nvidia employees from early years I interviewed were engineers and technical/operationaly employees. I don't remember interviewing an MBA.

The deep understanding of technology is so important. So many CEOs are empty MBA suits who are BS artists and don't know anything. I wish I could shout this to the rooftops even though I do cover it in the book. The importance of technical competence and avoiding finance/MBA/consulting executive CEOs.

I agree with this. You have to do the whole culture - not just a part of it. One prominent CEO (I won't name) started posting on social media about the book, the parts of being blunt and direct in feedback, and I bristled. He certainly doesn't understand the entire culture of treating employees like family in times of health crisis.

The Asianometry interview was so much fun. It makes a huge difference when the host and interviewer reads the book and knows background technology/material.

Nostalgia for the 1990s is real. I loved that era. PC gaming was awesome. I bought tons of 3D graphics cards from Rendition Verite, 3dfx Voodoo and obviously Nvidia. Having John Carmack tweet about my book nearly made me faint (surreal!). I adored his Doom and Quake games so much.

I sigh a little whenever anyone mentions Isaacson. My book had a different goal. I wanted to write a serious, substantive business history of Nvidia and explore the reasons for its success. Walt has a different style and focus, which wasn't what I aimed to do.

Thanks for the kind words swimwiththebeat. I really appreciate it. I didn't get to the ARM acquisition failure and crypto boom given time constraints. There is so much to cover in Nvidia's three decade history, so I had to pick and choose.

Bunch of other interviews and reviews came out:

"There are two reasons to write a business book, according to Brad Stone, author of 'The Everything Store.' You’re either writing a thriller or a how-to-manual. In 'The Nvidia Way,' veteran technology journalist Tae Kim manages to do both." ― New York Post

"Never read the founding story of NVIDIA in so much detail until this book .. Epic story & book." -Gergely Orosz, #1 technology newsletter on Substack Pragmatic Engineer

"I have read and followed Kim, a very astute observer of the technology and gaming industries, for years .. I will say right up top, everyone should go buy it. It’s in the genre of — I love founding story books. .. I’m glad someone wrote it about Nvidia and I’m glad it was you."― Ben Thompson, Stratechery

"The Nvidia Way is a riveting history of Nvidia’s unexpected ascent to the top of the tech sector—and a compelling case for why cofounder Jensen Huang is one of history’s great CEOs .. An essential read for understanding the rise of artificial intelligence and Nvidia’s central role in it."—Chris Miller, New York Times best-selling author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology

"The definitive look at the most remarkable business story of this era."—Morgan Housel, New York Times best-selling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever

“The definitive history and overview of Nvidia. I probably am as qualified as anyone to write this review, given that I write a semiconductor focused newsletter. Great history / anecdotes / philosophy about Nvidia, and I think it will be an instant classic.”―Doug O'Laughlin, Fabricated Knowledge newsletter

I'm the author of THE NVIDIA WAY book. I'm here to answer any questions if you have any.