As the global debate over how profits generated by the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom should be distributed becomes increasingly fierce, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that he will give his employees the highest possible compensation. "I think people should be paid as high as possible," Huang told reporters on the sidelines of the Taipei Computer Show on Tuesday. He was asked about Nvidia partner Samsung Electronics and its recent salary agreement with employees - an agreement that will give Samsung chip engineers bonuses of up to $400,000.
“I pay my employees the highest salary within my capabilities,” Huang said. "That's what I did, not that it was the right thing to do."
The main beneficiaries of the global AI model proliferation are facing increasing pressure to share more profits. Samsung Electronics reached a deal with union members to avert a potentially catastrophic strike, and Nvidia partner TSMC is working to quell concerns over profit sharing.
TSMC President Wei Zhejia hosted an employee meeting last week and assured employees that their incentive plans will increase even more this year than last year. The company is likely to be asked more questions about employee pay at its annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.
Employees are also worried that they will eventually be replaced, but Huang Jensen on Monday dismissed the idea that AI may threaten jobs as "nonsense" and said that AI will instead drive revenue, profits and GDP growth. According to Samsung's March announcement, its employees earned an average of 158 million won ($105,000) each last year.