The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant

by Tae Kim

In late 1992, Priem, Malachowsky, and Jensen met frequently at a Denny’s at the corner of Capitol and Berryessa in East San Jose to figure out how to turn their idea into a business plan. “We’d show up, we’d order one bottomless cup of coffee. And then, you know, work for four hours,” Malachowsky said.1 Priem remembers eating plenty of Denny’s pies and the Grand Slam breakfasts—two buttermilk pancakes served with eggs, bacon, and sausages. Jensen doesn’t recall his typical order, but he thinks it was likely the Super Bird sandwich—turkey, melted Swiss cheese, tomato, and his favorite addition, bacon.2

The strategy was dubbed “ship the whole cow,” a reference to how butchers find ways to use almost every part of a steer carcass, from nose to tail—not just the prime cuts like the tenderloin and the ribs.