"Just Worked and Became a Billionaire: How to Land a Job at the Next NVIDIA [K-Women Talk]"

"I Became a Billionaire Just by Working"
A Twist: Workplace Investment Over Capital Investment
Preparation Needed from the Perspectives of Money, People, and Growth

Commuters and citizens heading to work are crossing the crosswalk at Gwanghwamun Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

"After working at our company for over ten years, my assets have grown to tens of millions of dollars. Now, what should I do?" This is a boastful yet lamenting post from a current NVIDIA employee on the American social news website Reddit. The story of someone who became a 10 billion KRW asset owner after working day and night at the company has sparked envy among salaried workers worldwide.

The restricted stock units (RSUs) received as bonuses increase like a snowball every year, and half of the 30,000 employees earn an annual salary exceeding 300 million KRW. Full remote work is possible, and there are no layoffs, a common downside of American companies. NVIDIA ranked first in CEO evaluations on the employee community Blind and was crowned the 'most desirable company to work for' among American university students, overshadowing Apple and Google. Employees proudly call themselves 'NVIDIANs' as a badge of honor. At this point, the true winners might not be NVIDIA investors but the employees who 'worked hard.' Perhaps the jackpot in life comes more from 'workplace investment' than 'capital investment.'

Over a decade ago, NVIDIA was a company that made graphics cards for gaming. What criteria did employees who committed their careers to a company that was neither Intel nor Micron use to choose it? What kind of foresight is needed to find the next NVIDIA? Let's explore from the three key aspects of a workplace: money, people, and growth.

First, it is necessary to check whether the company has received sufficient investment from venture capital (VC). Trusting the expert judgment of VCs, who thoroughly review a company's potential before investing, is crucial. Fortunately, in South Korea, there is the Startup Alliance website, created through public-private cooperation, where you can check the cumulative funding amounts of startups. By entering the 'Startup Map' menu, you can see updated data on companies that have received investments of 1 billion KRW, 5 billion KRW, 10 billion KRW, and over 30 billion KRW. For reference, in 2023, 323 companies received over 1 billion KRW, 110 companies over 10 billion KRW, and 8 companies over 100 billion KRW, allowing you to identify companies attracting capital.

Second, the philosophy, passion, and determination of the CEO and co-founders matter. The success of a startup depends on the manpower and breakthrough ability of its founding members. It is necessary to check the founding members' understanding and experience in the industry, their determination to gather capital and personnel when facing difficulties, and, above all, whether their mission and vision about why they must do this work are clear. Unfortunately, there are no objective indicators to verify this. The only option is to look for CEO interviews or conference presentations. Ratings on Blind or JobPlanet can also be referenced. However, do not take former employees' complaints at face value; instead, read reviews carefully to understand the underlying meaning. An additional checkpoint recommended by employment experts is to see if the CEO personally conducts interviews. In startups where human resources are most important, the CEO's participation in interviews is both natural and crucial.

Third, check whether sales are steadily increasing. A promising startup may run deficits for a long time, but sales should consistently grow. If the industry does not expect sales, monthly active users (MAU) and daily active users (DAU) should at least show an upward trend. If the company has created a product the market has been waiting for, customers will gradually increase over time.

Additionally, considering market size, product differentiation, and entry barriers is beneficial, but if even one of the above three criteria is met, it is worth jumping in. Like NVIDIA, some degree of risk is necessary to enable 'workplace investment.'