Shiv Rao, the co-founder and chief executive of healthcare AI startup Abridge, recently revealed a formative leadership lesson he received from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Rao shared the experience during an appearance on the 20VC podcast, describing how a late-night call with Huang helped shape his mindset as a founder of the fast-growing company.
According to Rao, he had emailed Huang earlier in the day seeking guidance when he was wrestling with a challenge in scaling his startup. To his surprise, Huang phoned him at midnight, initiating a candid discussion about leadership and work passion. “He once called me at midnight, and it was like on his way home, and I knew it was him. I picked it up, and it was awesome. He wanted to unpack a challenge that I was experiencing,” Rao said, recalling the unexpected conversation.
The key takeaway Rao drew from the exchange was a shift in perspective on work and leadership. Huang urged him to focus on embracing and “fall in love with whatever the job is,” a lesson Rao says helped him adapt to the demands of being a startup CEO, including responsibilities he once resisted, such as frequent travel. “One of the lessons for me that day was your job is to fall in love with whatever the job is. That is something you can do, and you can convince yourself,” he said.
Rao acknowledged that this guidance changed how he viewed aspects of his role that initially felt burdensome. Reflecting on his earlier attitude toward travel, he noted that five years ago he might have resisted constant flights, but after internalizing Huang’s advice, he learned to appreciate that part of the job.
Huang’s philosophy resonates with his long-standing viewpoint that people can develop a passion for their work over time. In a separate interview, he once remarked that he found satisfaction in various early jobs, emphasizing that passion often develops through experience rather than being present from the outset.
Abridge, founded in 2018 by Rao, focuses on using artificial intelligence to transcribe and summarize clinician-patient conversations to improve healthcare delivery. The startup has attracted major investment, closing a $300 million Series E funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Khosla Ventures, bringing its valuation to $5.3 billion.
