Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, 62, has two children: Spencer (Shengbin), 35, and Madison (Minshan), 34. Both appear accomplished in their own fields. Spencer holds a master’s degree in technical business administration from NYU, but previously studied Chinese and ran a celebrated cocktail bar in Taipei, Taiwan—his father’s birthplace—until it closed in May 2021 after being named by Forbes as one of Asia’s top 50 bars.
Madison trained in restaurant operations at the Culinary Institute of New York, worked as a chef in New York and San Francisco, and then pursued pastry studies in Paris. She later attended London’s Le Cordon Bleu and spent nearly four years in France with luxury giant LVMH before earning an MBA from London Business School.
From culinary arts to Silicon Valley
According to The Information, both siblings shifted careers in recent years, this time much closer to home. Madison joined Nvidia as an intern in 2020 and quickly rose to Senior Director of Product Marketing in the simulation group.
The role involves “driving marketing initiatives, go-to-market strategies, and empowering developers,” according to the company. She is also part of her father’s close circle of about a dozen executives and helps organize major corporate events. Company filings show she earned more than $1 million in 2024.
Spencer joined Nvidia in 2022, also as an intern, and now serves as a product manager working on original cloud technologies to simplify and accelerate the adoption of robotics applications. His salary is estimated at $530,000 a year. Neither sibling is involved in Nvidia’s core chip and data center businesses.
CEO responds to nepotism concerns
Both were born in the U.S., unlike their father, who immigrated as a child. Asked recently about nepotism at Nvidia, Huang acknowledged that “many employees’ children work here,” adding that it shouldn’t be a concern because “parents wouldn’t recommend their children if they were unqualified and would embarrass them.” Smiling, he added that many “second-generation Nvidia employees” outperform their parents.
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The Huang family is not alone. Madison’s partner also works at Nvidia, as do the children of co-founder and senior executive Chris Malachowsky and board director Aarti Shah. Some other executives’ children have done short internships at the company.
The discussion inside and outside Nvidia intensified when Madison’s pay crossed $1 million and she was promoted to senior director. Former Nvidia VP Greg Estes told The Information that while “it’s natural anyone meeting them would be aware they’re Jensen’s kids,” both work hard, excel in their roles and are deeply connected to the company.
Nepotism is rare in US tech giants
Worth $4.45 trillion, Nvidia is the most valuable company in the world. Huang owns just 3.5% of the business, but his leadership is undisputed. Nepotism is unusual among top U.S. tech firms, where the children of industry icons like Apple’s Steve Jobs or Microsoft’s Bill Gates have stayed away from their parents’ companies. Public corporations face strict regulations from the SEC and stock exchanges, requiring independent boards and avoiding conflicts of interest.
Still, Nvidia is not the first tech giant to keep it in the family. At Qualcomm, founder Irwin Jacobs was succeeded as CEO in 2005 by his son, Paul Jacobs, who ran the company for a decade. Paul’s brother Jeffrey served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. At Dell, founder Michael Dell’s brother, Adam, has launched several companies that were later acquired by Dell.