July 30, 2026
Nvidia Part I: The GPU Company (1993-2006)
Acquired · Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal · 119 min
Why we chose this episode
Long before Nvidia became a trillion-dollar AI bellwether, it was a scrappy graphics chip company that nearly died more than once. Ben and David trace those near-collapses and the stubborn technical bets that eventually paid off, which makes today's AI boom look far less inevitable and far more earned. It's a masterclass in how founders survive years of being almost wrong.
Listen for this question
What does it take for a company to keep betting on a technology before the market is ready for it?
Listen to the full episode
Every link above sends you to the creator’s own platform. We respect the original work, so we never host or summarize it here — we just point you back to the people who made it.
Visit AcquiredWho it’s for: Anyone interested in how technology companies actually survive their early years.
Best way to listen
Save it for a weekend when you can give it full attention.
After the episode
Appreciate how much luck and stubbornness shaped a company you now take for granted.
Get tomorrow’s pick