How Nvidia’s $4 trillion rise minted two more billionaires
Nvidia’s rise to a $4 trillion market cap has pushed CFO Colette Kress and sales chief Jay Puri into the billionaire ranks, reflecting the company’s outsized role in the AI boom.
Nvidia’s rise to a $4 trillion market cap has pushed CFO Colette Kress and sales chief Jay Puri into the billionaire ranks, reflecting the company’s outsized role in the AI boom.
When Nvidia crossed the $4 trillion market value threshold earlier this month, the milestone underscored more than just the company’s dominance in the AI hardware race. It also reshaped the fortunes of its senior leadership.
Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress and Jay Puri, head of sales and marketing, have both joined the billionaire ranks, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Their wealth, like that of many Nvidia insiders, is tied almost entirely to the company’s soaring stock.
Nvidia’s run has been relentless. Once a graphics chip designer catering primarily to gamers, it now sits at the center of the artificial intelligence boom, supplying the processors that power everything from large language models to autonomous vehicles.
That surge has lifted not only investors but also a select group of insiders whose stakes have multiplied along with the company’s share price.
Kress, 57, joined Nvidia in 2013, when the company’s market value was still under $10 billion. Over the past decade, she has steered its finances through rapid growth, trade headwinds, and aggressive investment cycles.
Before Nvidia, she held leadership roles at Microsoft and Cisco, experiences that shaped her approach to scaling a company undergoing transformation.
Puri, 70, joined in 2005 after more than two decades at Sun Microsystems, where he helped build the company’s Asia-Pacific business.
At Nvidia, he has been a central figure in driving international sales, navigating regulatory environments, and representing the company in markets ranging from Vietnam to China.
Their fortunes reflect a broader trend in Silicon Valley, where the wealth created by AI has pushed executives into rarefied territory.
Nvidia now counts at least six billionaires among its top ranks, including longtime directors Mark Stevens, Tench Coxe, and Harvey Jones.
CEO Jensen Huang, whose personal wealth has surged to $154 billion, making him the ninth-richest person globally, highlighted this dynamic at a recent summit in Washington.
“I’ve created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world,” he said, adding that these outcomes reflect the value being created in the AI sector.
The company’s products sit at the heart of the AI supply chain, giving it pricing power and market influence unmatched by rivals. This has made its stock one of the most closely watched assets in global markets.
The company’s trajectory has not been without turbulence. Earlier this year, its stock stumbled amid concerns over China’s DeepSeek chatbot and uncertainty following the Trump administration’s tariff announcement in April.
Restrictions on chip exports to China threatened billions in revenue. Nvidia has since secured assurances allowing it to continue selling some products in the region, helping ease investor anxiety and fueling its latest rally.
Nvidia’s success mirrors the broader surge in AI-driven valuations.
Tech giants are paying record sums to attract AI talent, while venture-backed firms are seeing valuations spike as companies race to secure cutting-edge capabilities.
Nvidia’s story is a case study in how strategic positioning during a technological shift can unlock extraordinary value.
As AI becomes an increasingly dominant force, the wealth generated by those at the forefront of its development is likely to widen.