Who’s the Smartest Person You’ve Ever Met?

On her podcast A Bit Personal, Jodi Shelton asks NVIDIA founder and CEO who’s the smartest person you’ve ever met?

Jensen Huang:

“Who’s the smartest person I’ve ever met?

“I can’t answer that question. And I know I know what people are thinking. The definition of smart is somebody who’s intelligent, solves problems, technical, but I find that’s a commodity. And we’re not, we’re about to prove that artificial intelligence is able to handle that part easiest, right? Yeah. And so, as it turns out, let me give you another example.

“Everybody thought software programming was the ultimate smart profession. Look, what is the first thing that AI is solving? Software programming. And so, it turns out that the definition of smart is very different than most people think. And I think long-term, the definition of smart and my personal definition of smart is someone who sits at that intersection of being technically astute but human empathy and having the ability to infer the unspoken, the around the corners, the unknowables. You know, people who are able to see around corners are truly, truly smart, and that their value is incredible. To be able to preempt problems before they show up, just because you feel the vibe. And the vibe came from a combination of uh data, analysis, first principle, life experience, wisdom, sensing other people. That vibe that I think that’s smart, that I think is going to be the future definition of smart, and that person might actually score horribly on the SAT.”

The complete interview is a treat to listen to and you can find it on Shelton’s YouTube page.

A Bit Personal is a long-form interview podcast hosted by Jodi Shelton that explores leadership through a human lens. Featuring candid conversations with technology leaders, the show focuses on the personal experiences that influence how decisions are made at scale.