Nvidia employees work 7 days a week till 2 am, don't quit because of lucrative pay package: report

The financial rewards have created a strong incentive for employees to withstand the pressures of the job.

Employees at Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker based in Santa Clara, California, have reported working under intense conditions, often putting in seven-day weeks and staying at their desks until 2 am. Despite the challenging environment, many employees choose to stay due to the company’s substantial compensation packages, New York Post reported.

Former and current employees described the workplace as highly demanding, with a culture that includes frequent meetings marked by tension and even shouting. A former marketing employee recounted attending as many as 10 meetings a day, each involving more than 30 participants. These meetings often became heated, but the employees tolerated the environment, driven by what they referred to as “golden handcuffs”—the company’s lucrative stock options.

Nvidia has seen its stock price soar by nearly 3,800% since 2019, largely due to the surging demand for its semiconductors, which are crucial for AI technology. This massive growth has turned many long-term employees into millionaires, as their stock grants typically vest over four years. The financial rewards have created a strong incentive for employees to withstand the pressures of the job.

The company’s low employee turnover rate further underscores this. In 2023, just 2.7% of Nvidia’s workforce left the company, a significant decrease from the previous year. This rate is remarkably low compared to the broader semiconductor industry, where employee turnover averages around 17.7%.

A former Nvidia engineer noted that many of the company's long-serving employees could easily afford to retire but choose to continue working in anticipation of even greater financial gains from future stock grants. He also observed a culture of wealth among employees, with many purchasing luxury cars, vacation homes, and tickets to high-profile events like the Super Bowl and NBA Finals.

The company’s success and the resulting wealth of its employees have had a noticeable impact on local real estate markets as well. A real estate agent in Palo Alto reported that Nvidia employees often make substantial down payments on multi-million-dollar homes, ranging between 40% and 60%.

Nvidia's co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, acknowledged the demanding work environment in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” explaining that the company's push for extraordinary achievements requires extraordinary effort. Huang’s leadership has driven Nvidia to become a dominant player in the AI chip industry, but it has also created a workplace where only the most resilient employees thrive.