Why Jensen Huang Called an AI Founder at Midnight — And the Leadership Lesson That Changed Everything

When the CEO of a $3 trillion company calls you at midnight, you pick up. For Shiv Rao, founder and CEO of healthcare AI startup Abridge, that late-night ring from Nvidia’s Jensen Huang wasn’t just a surprise—it was a masterclass in what it really means to lead.

In a recent episode of the “20VC” podcast, Rao opened up about the moment Huang dialed him after a long day, offering a piece of advice that reframed his entire approach to building a company. The lesson? It’s not about finding a job you love. It’s about learning to love the job you have.

Here’s the full story, what it means for founders and revenue leaders, and how you can apply this counterintuitive playbook to your own growth journey.

The Midnight Call That Redefined “Founder Mode”

Abridge, a healthcare tech startup that builds AI tools for transcribing and summarizing patient visits, has been on an absolute tear. Co-founded in 2018 by Rao—a practicing cardiologist—the company landed a $300 million Series E round led by Andreessen Horowitz in June 2024, with participation from Khosla Ventures. The round valued Abridge at $5.3 billion.

Nvidia is also an investor. And that’s how Rao found himself emailing Jensen Huang for guidance during a tough moment.

“I emailed him earlier that day. He called me at midnight on his way home. I knew it was him. I picked it up, and it was awesome,” Rao recounted. “He wanted to unpack a challenge I was experiencing.”

The quick turnaround blew Rao away. But what stuck was the advice itself.

“One of the lessons for me that day was: Your job is to fall in love with whatever the job is,” Rao said. “That is something you can do, and you can convince yourself.”

In other words: stop searching for the perfect role. Start perfecting the role you’re in.

The Myth of “Do What You Love” — And Why Huang Flips the Script

We’ve all heard the career advice: “Find what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” It sounds nice. It’s also, according to Huang, a trap.

Huang has been vocal about rejecting this conventional wisdom. In a 2023 podcast, he said: “I loved it when I was a dishwasher. I loved it when I was a busboy. I loved it when I was delivering papers. I loved every single day at Nvidia that I’ve ever had, and I just learned to love what I’m doing.”

The nuance here is critical. Huang isn’t claiming he was always in the perfect job. He’s claiming he made the choice to love the work in front of him.

For founders and sales leaders, this is a radical reframe. The early days of a startup or a new GTM motion are grueling. Cold calls get rejected. Deals fall apart. Forecasts get blasted. If you’re waiting to find joy in the work, you’ll be waiting forever. Joy comes from the discipline of finding purpose in the grind.

“Living on an Airplane” — How Rao Bent His DNA

Rao admitted that one of the hardest things to love was constant travel.

“If you caught me five years ago, I’d be like, ‘Never. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to find other ways to grow and scale,’” he said. “But this is what the job requires, and I enjoy it.”

That’s the key phrase: This is what the job requires.

Building a high-growth B2B company demands certain non-negotiables. For revenue teams, that might mean:

• Relentless prospecting in the early days
• 50+ discovery calls per week
• Crunching pipeline data every Sunday night
• Traveling to meet enterprise buyers face-to-face
• Handling rejection from 9 to 5

You don’t have to love these things inherently. But you do have to love the outcome they produce. And that shift in mindset—from “I hate this activity” to “I love what this activity creates”—is what separates high-performing teams from the rest.

A Playbook for Revenue Leaders: How to Fall in Love With Your GTM Motion

1. Separate the Task From the Outcome

No one loves entering CRM data. But everyone loves closing a deal because that data gave them visibility into the next step. When you’re coaching your SDRs or AEs, help them connect the mundane to the mission.

Example: Instead of saying “I need you to make 40 calls today,” say “I need you to advance 3 conversations today. Here’s how dialing helps us find those conversations faster.”

2. Reframe “Sacrifice” as “Investment”

Rao talked about bending his DNA to love being on an airplane. The reframe? Every flight was an investment in relationships, trust, and revenue.

As a sales leader, you can do the same with:

• Post-mortems on lost deals (treat them as research, not failure)
• Friday afternoon pipeline reviews (treat them as prep for Monday’s momentum)
• Onboarding new reps (treat it as building leverage for the future)

3. Use the Huang Test: Would You Call Me at Midnight?

Huang’s midnight call wasn’t just advice—it was a signal. He cared enough to dial after a long day because he believed Rao’s challenge was worth solving.

Ask yourself: Are you showing up for your team the same way? When a rep sends you a Slack at 9 PM, do you respond with curiosity or frustration? The best leaders model the love they want to see.

4. Build Systems That Make the Grind Feel Meaningful

Grit without purpose is just suffering. Create team rituals that remind everyone why they’re doing the work:

• Start Monday all-hands with a customer success story
• Have reps share the most meaningful discovery call from the week
• Celebrate not just closed-won, but breakthroughs in understanding a buyer’s problem

Why This Advice Hits Harder for AI and SaaS Founders

The SaaS and AI market is brutal right now. Funding cycles are tightening. Buyers are more skeptical. Churn rates are under a microscope.

In this environment, the “find what you love” advice feels almost irresponsible. You can’t afford to hop from role to role looking for inspiration. You need to manufacture it internally.

Abridge’s own journey proves the point. Rao, a cardiologist, didn’t start a healthcare AI company because it was easy or fun. He started it because the problem—transcribing and summarizing patient visits—had huge impact. That impact gave him the fuel to love the process.

Your product may not save lives. But if you’re in B2B SaaS, you’re solving a real business problem. Revenue teams that internalize that purpose outperform those that just chase quotas.

The Takeaway: Love Is a Discipline, Not a Discovery

Jensen Huang’s midnight call to Shiv Rao wasn’t about strategy or fundraising tactics. It was about mindset. And for any founder, VP of Sales, or revenue leader feeling the weight of their role, it’s the most actionable advice you’ll get:

• Stop looking for the perfect job
• Stop waiting for the ideal market
• Stop hoping your team will magically love their work

Instead, choose to love the work in front of you. Convince yourself. Then help your team do the same.

That’s what separates builders from dreamers. And that’s how you build a company worth $5.3 billion.

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