To The Moon

Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive of NVIDIA, pushed back against researchers' assertions that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity within a few years, dismissing such predictions as an overblown doomsday narrative. In a recent interview with CBS News, Huang stated flatly that 2030 will not mark the end of the world, putting the probability of such an outcome at zero percent. He characterized the fear-mongering as both irresponsible and unnecessary.

Huang's remarks directly respond to former Anthropic researcher Jacob Cawson, who had previously accused both Anthropic and OpenAI of reckless behavior, alleging they are racing to develop self-improving superintelligence while gambling with human lives. Cawson's strong statements have ignited widespread public debate, with AI leaders such as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman both calling for a slowdown in frontier AI development. Huang, however, stated he does not endorse these projections, as he believes they lack scientific foundation.

Given that NVIDIA supplies computing power for AI large language models at companies like OpenAI, Huang is clearly a stakeholder in this controversy. The company, fueled by intense chip demand, briefly reached a market capitalization of $5.3 trillion and became the most valuable company globally. "Our company's success is closely tied to the safety of our products and services," Huang said. "If we cannot maintain safety, our value diminishes." He argued that existing US product liability laws and statutes addressing unauthorized network intrusion are already robust, making new legislation targeting AI developers unnecessary. He also expressed agreement with the US President's position that the AI industry does not require additional regulatory measures. "Cybersecurity and damage liability laws already cover all scenarios, and these statutes should be enforced first. Do not let doomsday narratives become a reason for some to escape existing legal obligations."

On the topic of US-China AI competition, Huang stated that while he believes American technology should first benefit American citizens, he opposes government bans on exporting US tech products to China. "Every chip company should go global, serve the global market, and compete globally. America is meant to compete," he said.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Huang's current net worth stands at $182 billion, ranking him as the world's eighth-richest person. This autumn, his home state of California will vote on a "billionaire tax," which, if approved, would impose a one-time 5% levy on state residents with net assets of at least $1 billion. Despite widespread criticism of the proposal from other California billionaires, Huang indicated he would not oppose paying billions more in taxes. "Being able to pay $8 billion in taxes over five years is a privilege and a responsibility. Nothing makes me happier than paying more taxes. I'm not afraid of taxes; I'm only afraid of becoming poor," he said.

Huang also described himself as the embodiment of the "ultimate American dream," crediting the US for providing him with a good education, career opportunities, and ultimately the chance to become an entrepreneur. He revealed that he conceived the idea for founding NVIDIA while working as a dishwasher at Denny's, yet never imagined he would one day stand at the forefront of the AI industry. "I was just extremely, extremely focused on washing dishes well, making sure no dishwasher could wash dishes like I did," he recalled.