As the Donald Trump administration unveiled its AI policy plan, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang joined top Silicon Valley figures to weigh in on the cutthroat battle for AI talent and compensation during a live podcast in Washington, D.C.
What Happened: Earlier this week, appearing on the All-in podcast alongside venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis, Huang pushed back on concerns about executive-level compensation amid billion-dollar offers for AI researchers.
During the conversation, Palihapitiya raised the point that AI researchers were being offered unprecedented contracts—one reportedly as high as $1 billion over four years from Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META).
He asked why similar valuations weren't seen at the CEO level, despite their role in enabling breakthroughs.
"First of all, I've created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world. They're doing just fine," Huang said. "Don't feel sad for anybody at my layer."
Huang also underscored the efficiency of small, well-funded teams in AI. "The impact of 150 or so AI researchers can probably create, with enough funding, an OpenAI. There's something about the elegance of small teams," he said.
Later, Calacanis added levity, teasing Huang about rumors of a secret stash of stock options. "Somebody told me you just drop RSUs on people if they do a great job," he joked.
"That's nuts," Huang responded, adding, "I review everyone's comp myself … and I 100% of the time increase opex because you take care of people and everything else takes care of itself."
Why It's Important: The discussion came during the Trump administration's unveiling of its AI Action Plan, a strategic initiative backed by a new wave of Silicon Valley.
Earlier this week, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai also dismissed concerns over an AI talent exodus, stating the company remains strong in attracting and retaining top AI experts.
Price Action: Nvidia shares gained 25.62% year-to-date, while in the past 12 months, its share price has increased by 54.74%, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings show that Nvidia maintains strong upward momentum across short, medium and long-term periods. More detailed performance metrics are available here.
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