Today’s callers: David from New Jersey struggles with self-doubt as he works to grow his muscle-scraping soap brand. Then, Marnie from Australia wants to convince customers that her colorful tick-repellent socks are worth the premium price. And David from New York wants his company to end the practice of throwing away burned out candles.

Plus, Sarah recounts rebuilding her brand in the wake of the pandemic and the changing fashion preferences of professional women.

Thank you to the founders of Sorsoap, Tick Socks, and Siblings for being a part of our show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to M.M. LaFleur’s founding story as told by Sarah on the show in 2020.

This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.

NVIDIA is one of the most valuable companies in human history. Its chips run the AI systems transforming everything from entertainment to warfare. But for years, almost nobody believed in co-founder Jensen Huang’s vision. Jensen spent nearly a decade pouring billions into a technology called CUDA, long before AI made it profitable.

In this deeply personal conversation, Jensen tells Guy why NVIDIA’s very first chip was a catastrophic failure … and how at one point, the company was 30 days away from going out of business.

Jensen also explains why he thinks fears about AI are overblown, and why he believes the next generation will have more opportunity — not less — because of AI.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why NVIDIA nearly collapsed before becoming an AI giant
• How researchers sparked the AI boom using NVIDIA gaming chips
• How to lead through uncertainty when a huge bet hasn’t yet paid off
• How Jensen approaches hard decisions like an engineer
• We’re “doing ourselves a disservice” by being afraid: Jensen on AI and job loss
• How Jensen defends his demanding management style
• Why past failures still haunt him

Key Moments From the Interview:

• 00:05:26 — Jensen Huang’s childhood at an unusual Kentucky boarding school
• 00:12:25 — Why Jensen left a stable career to help start NVIDIA
• 00:14:49 — NVIDIA’s first failure: the NV1 disaster
• 00:17:26 — The desperate trip to Japan that gave the company a lifeline
• 00:20:46 — “The only idea we had” for prototyping: the emulator Hail Mary
• 00:26:13 — The book that shaped Jensen’s thinking about innovation
• 00:30:24 — Why NVIDIA kept investing in CUDA while Wall Street lost faith
• 00:36:58 — The moment AI researchers discovered the power of NVIDIA’s chips
• 00:47:07 — Jensen on fear of job loss from AI, and why America risks falling behind
• 00:55:46 — Knowing what he knows now, would he do it again? Yes — and no

This episode was researched and produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Robert Rodriguez.

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Today’s callers: Kristina in Florida wants to take her local pottery workshops nationwide. Then Jim from Colorado wonders if retail is right for his quick release camera straps. And Will in Ohio hopes his business will change what consumers expect from tool rental services.

Thank you to the founders of Seagrass Pottery, Lemur Strap and Tool Club for being a part of our show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to our episodes with Chieh Huang of Boxed, Hernan Lopez of Wondery and David Neeleman of Jet Blue.

This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack

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