The Fall of Jensen Huank-er and Lessons Learned…

OK… I admit it. I’m kinda hooked on all the news about Jensen Huang.

What a story this is! What a wanker he is!

Jensen “Huank-er” is the guy who founded and ran Nvidia. Until recently, his company had a market value around $5 trillion (yeah, with a “T”).

Nvidia sells the chips that power AI.

Every time you chat with Claude or GPT, Nvidia chips light up, and Jensen Huank-er buys another $10,000 leather jacket.

Life was good for Jensen until last month when news broke that he was having an affair…

…with an executive from another tech company…

…who happened to be a CHINESE SPY!

(Of all the rotten luck!)

Jensen Huank-er dating a Chinese spy is a problem for lots of reasons. Reason #1: The American government doesn’t want China to have Nvidia’s chips or tech secrets.

Turns out the 21st Century Arms Race is all about who can build bigger, better, AI faster.

National security and economic prosperity depend on it, we’re told.

So we’re supposed to care (A LOT!) about Jensen Haunk-er’s pillow talk.

Meanwhile, Nvidia’s stock price has plummeted. The company’s market value has shrunk by $460 billion since the scandal broke. And just today, Jensen Huank-er, has resigned as the company’s CEO.

There are many life and business lessons to unpack from this little soap opera.

Topping the list: If you’re going to have an affair with a spy, don’t choose one from China!

(Common sense, right!?)

But for those of us who are not cheating on our spouses with spies, let’s look at the more relevant lessons:

How you behave matters.

You can have the most valuable product or service in the galaxy, but if you behave like a wanker, you and your company’s value can explode faster than a Chinese firecracker.

Remember the adage: “They hire you for what you do. They stay for who you are.”

Trust takes years to build and days to lose.

Jensen spent 33 years building Nvidia. It took a few weeks for the world to stop trusting him.

And here’s a fun fact… Nvidia is STILL the second most valuable company on earth, even after losing $460 billion.

You don’t have that cushion.

When a small business loses trust, there’s no $5 trillion pillow to land on. There’s a client who quietly stops returning your calls. And a referral partner who stops sending people your way.

When you screw up, speak up. Fast.

While Nvidia’s board investigated behind closed doors, Wall Street filled the silence with the worst version of the story. And the stock kept sliding.

Same thing happens on a smaller scale. Miss a deadline? Botch a project? Call the client before they call you. Own it. Fix it.

If you sit in silence, someone else tells your story.

Speaking of telling your story, I’m hosting a Small-Group Business Roundtable next week: How to Put Personality in Your Marketing So You Stand Out as the Human to Hire.

If you want to build relationships with people who hire you, refer you, and stick around for years, grab a seat at this roundtable.

Reply to this email with “Don’t be a Huank-er,” and I’ll send you the details.