I recently read The Nvidia Way by Tae Kim. It tells the origin story and rise of Nvidia, a company that is at the center of the AI revolution. Also at the center of this revolution is co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang, whose unique management philosophy set the tone for the Nvidia way.

Below is my breakdown of one of his management concepts: Speed of Light.

Most companies are designed to fail slowly. They stack meetings on top of approvals; they layer bureaucracy over common sense; they mistake process for progress. Meanwhile, NVIDIA moves at what Jensen Huang calls “the speed of light“, and it’s not a metaphor.

Your organization is probably dying from a thousand tiny delays right now.

The Real Problem: We’ve Accepted Organizational Physics That Don’t Exist

Here’s what I see in most companies: teams waiting three weeks for a simple approval; projects stalled because two departments can’t align their calendars; brilliant ideas suffocating under layers of “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

You know what’s interesting? We accept these delays as natural laws. But they’re not.

Jensen Huang asked a different question entirely: What if the only constraint on our execution speed was actual physics? Not corporate politics. Not arbitrary processes. Not the comfort zone of middle management. Just the literal speed at which information and materials can move through space.

This isn’t about working harder; it’s about eliminating everything that isn’t essential physics.

How Speed of Light Management Actually Works

Huang didn’t just dream up this concept; he built it into NVIDIA’s DNA through four core mechanisms:

1. Physics Becomes Your Benchmark

Stop measuring progress against last quarter or your competitors. Ask this instead: “What’s the absolute fastest this could be done if nothing stood in the way but the laws of physics?”

That’s your new timeline. Everything else is organizational friction you need to eliminate.

2. Atomize Everything for Maximum Parallelization

Break every project into its smallest possible components. Then run as many pieces simultaneously as physics allows.

Here’s how NVIDIA did this with the RIVA 128 chip: instead of the traditional sequential approach (design hardware, then write software), they bought an expensive emulator. Hardware and software teams worked in parallel. Result: two years collapsed into nine months.

The emulator cost money; the time savings were worth millions.

3. Flatten Everything That Slows Information Flow

Information moves at the speed of light through fiber optic cables. It moves at the speed of bureaucracy through traditional corporate hierarchies.

NVIDIA maintains minimal management layers. Decisions happen fast because information doesn’t get trapped in organizational molasses.

4. Make Mistakes Public Learning Events

Most companies hide failures; NVIDIA broadcasts them. When something goes wrong, the whole company learns immediately. This turns individual mistakes into collective acceleration.

No time wasted on repetitive errors across different teams.

The Three Questions That Change Everything

Before you dismiss this as “Silicon Valley extremism,” ask yourself these three questions:

1. How many of your current delays are actually necessary? (Hint: fewer than you think)
2. What would happen if you eliminated every step that isn’t adding real value?
3. Are you optimizing for comfort or for results?

Most organizations optimize for comfort. They create processes that make people feel safe and busy. NVIDIA optimizes for mission completion at maximum velocity.

Why This Isn’t Just About Tech Companies

I’ve seen this principle work across industries. A manufacturing client eliminated 40% of their approval steps, resulting in a 60% increase in production speed. A consulting firm streamlined its review process, resulting in a significant improvement in project delivery time by weeks.

The pattern is universal: organizational friction scales exponentially, but value creation doesn’t.

Here’s what changes when you adopt speed of light thinking:

• Teams stop waiting for permission and start taking ownership
• Projects run in parallel instead of sequence
• Information flows horizontally instead of up and down hierarchies
• Excellence becomes the baseline because mediocrity can’t keep up

Your Implementation Framework

Ready to implement this? Here’s your roadmap:

Week 1: Map Your Friction Points

Document every delay in your current processes. Time each step. Ask: “Is this physics or bureaucracy?”

Week 2: Eliminate Non-Physics Constraints

Remove approvals that don’t add value. Collapse sequential steps into parallel workflows. Cut meetings that could be decisions.

Week 3: Establish Physics Benchmarks

For each major project type, calculate the theoretical minimum timeline. Make this your new standard.

Week 4: Create Parallel Execution Protocols

Identify which work streams can run simultaneously. Invest in tools (like NVIDIA’s emulator) that enable parallel progress.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Excellence

Here’s what nobody talks about: speed of light management demands more from everyone. Huang works extreme hours and expects the same dedication from his team. This isn’t for everyone.

But here’s the other truth: mediocre companies don’t change the world. If you want extraordinary results, you need extraordinary commitment to eliminating everything that stands between intention and execution.

Your Next Move

Most companies will read this and do nothing. They’ll find reasons why “their industry is different” or “their culture wouldn’t accept it.” Those companies will continue moving at the speed of bureaucracy while their competitors move at the speed of light.

The choice is simple: optimize for comfort or optimize for results. You can’t have both.

What’s the one process you could eliminate this week? What’s the one approval that adds no real value? What’s the one meeting you could turn into a decision?

Start there. Physics is waiting.