Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes you don't need an Ivy League degree to succeed in America — here's why

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang believes that America is a land of opportunity and that one does not need an Ivy League degree to succeed in the country. Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, episode #2422, on 3 December, Jensen Huang shared his own success story as an immigrant in the United States.

“You don't have to go to Ivy League schools to succeed. This country creates and has opportunities for all of us. You do have to strive. You do have to claw your way here. But if you put in the work, have luck, and with the good graces of others, you can succeed,” he told the podcast host.

Jensen Huang's comments come at a time when notable figures, including Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu and Palantir CEO Alex Karp, are questioning higher education and the relevance of college degrees.

Jensen Huang shares immigrant origin story, road to success

Sharing his experiences as an immigrant, Jensen Huang told Joe Rogan that his parents sent him and his brother to America first from Thailand and joined them in the US two years later.

“My parents left everything behind, and all they had was their suitcase and the money they had in their in their pocket. They were in their 40s. Pursued the American dream. This is the American dream. I'm the first generation of the American dream,” he stated.

Jensen Huang used his own experiences to say that an Ivy League education is not a prerequisite to success. He said, “I've lived a great life. You don't have to go to Ivy League schools to succeed. This country creates opportunities. Has opportunities for all of us.”

“You do have to strive. You have to claw your way here. Yeah. But if you put in the work, you can succeed. With a lot of luck, good decision-making and the good graces of others,” he added.

Sridhar Vembu warns Indian parents against heavy student debt

Meanwhile, Zoho Corp's Sridhar Vembu has commented on a “cultural shift” in America where students are skipping college, encouraged by forward-thinking employers, and urged Indian parents to let their children follow suit.

“This is going to be a profound cultural shift. This is the real ‘youth power’, enabling young men and women to stand on their own feet, without having to incur heavy debt to get a degree and paying their own way. This trend will change the way they view the world, and it will change culture and politics. I would urge educated Indian parents and high schoolers, as well as leading companies to pay attention,” said Vembu in his post on X.

Elon Musk answers: Should kids still go to college?

Meanwhile, on Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath's WTF podcast, when asked, Elon Musk agreed that degrees may not keep up in an AI world, but added that going to college for social reasons is still valid. He said his own children want to go to college.

He said, “If you want to go to college for social reasons. Which I think is a reason to go — to be around people your own age in a learning environment. Will these skills be necessary in the future? Probably not, because we're going to be in like a post-work society. But I think, if something's of interest, it's fine to go and study that. You know, to study the arts and sciences.”

“I don't think you have to go to college. But I think if you do, you just try to learn as much as possible across a wide range of subjects,” he said.

Earlier in November, Palantir's Alex Karp also suggested that college degrees will be useless in the AI age, and that smart kids graduating from well-known universities with “generalized knowledge” are “effed.”