Before Jensen Huang was strutting across the global stage with his signature shiny leather jacket, he was a dishwasher at a Denny’s.
It’s a bullet point on his resume he flashes proudly. He talks about it in interviews, crediting the diner for helping him break out of a shyer version of himself, and his five-year stint as a dishwasher, busboy and waiter is the first line on his LinkedIn profile before a decades-long career in tech. A Denny’s diner booth in San Jose was also where he co-founded the chip giant Nvidia in 1993, before spending 33 years spearheading what has become one of the most important companies in the artificial intelligence boom.
In 2023, that diner at 2484 Berryessa Drive unveiled a plaque commemorating the booth where Nvidia was dreamed up over eggs, bacon and coffee that read: “The booth that launched a $1 trillion company. Congrats Nvidia! Who knew that an idea started here would change the world?”…