How I Built This with Guy Raz

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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: 00:07:51 — Jensen Huang’s childhood at an unusual Kentucky boarding school 00:14:50 — Why Jensen left a stable career to help start NVIDIA 00:17:14 — NVIDIA’s first failure: the NV1 disaster 00:19:51 — The desperate trip to Japan that gave the company a lifeline 00:23:11 — “The only idea we had” for prototyping: the emulator Hail Mary 00:30:53 — The book that shaped Jensen’s thinking about innovation 00:35:04 — Why NVIDIA kept investing in CUDA while Wall Street lost faith 00:41:38 — The moment AI researchers discovered the power of NVIDIA’s chips  00:53:17 — Jensen on fear of job loss from AI, and why America risks falling behind 01:01:56 — 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. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Gabbert built a massive furniture brand. But in order to do it, he had to defy his family.  John grew up working at his dad’s furniture store in the suburbs of Minneapolis. It sold classic, American-made furniture, with flowery prints and curved legs. But in 1972, John took a life-changing trip to Sweden, where he discovered an obscure store called IKEA. It was selling an entirely different type of furniture: simple, modern, and inexpensive, with a manufacturing process they controlled. To John, it looked like the future of furniture. The only problem, his dad didn’t agree.  That disagreement led to a 10-year family rift—but also a new business.  In 1980—zafter a deal to buy out his dad broke down—John spun out his own furniture brand, Room & Board. Today, it sells hundreds of millions of dollars of furniture in its own classic designs, mostly made by small American manufacturers.  This is the story of how John did it, without outside investors, and without chasing growth for growth’s sake. What You’ll Learn Why the right thing for your business might be the hardest thing for your family How John connected with young boomers—not their parents  The key to long-term success: growing slow and saying “no” Why John refused private equity money Why Room & Board transitioned to employee ownership Timestamps: 00:06:10 - Gabberts: flowery furniture in a fake living room 00:09:41 - Becoming president of the family business at age 23 00:13:33 - A fateful trip to IKEA in Sweden: “That's what the future needed to be” 00:18:36 - John tries to buy out the family business… until his dad backs out 00:35:47 - Design inspiration from modern art—and steel frames 00:46:38 - Why making furniture in America makes sense 00:55:27 - Investors come to call… and John says no 01:01:48 - The decision that transferred ownership to employees This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Rommel Wood. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.