Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has an unusual Sunday ritual that played a key role in shaping the success of AI voice technology firm SoundHound, its founder Keyvan Mohajer has revealed. In an interview with Fortune, Mohajer said that nearly a decade ago, Huang began sending Mohajer research papers with notes on Sunday mornings, expecting detailed feedback. The routine, Mohajer said, not only pushed him to sharpen his ideas but also influenced SoundHound’s growth into a $5.4 billion company.“It’s been one of the good things in my life to cross paths with Jensen and Nvidia,” Mohajer told Fortune. “He had a passion for what’s the next big thing, and he became very interested in our field.”
How it started
Keyvan Mohajer, who first launched SoundHound in 2004 from his Stanford dorm room, met Jensen Huang about 10 years ago. What began as a chance encounter turned into a long-term relationship that combined mentorship, tough assignments, and inspiration.On several weekends, Huang would personally share technical research and ask for responses. “I had to read it and give my feedback,” Mohajer recalled.The commitment impressed Huang, who later backed SoundHound both personally and through Nvidia. By 2022, SoundHound had gone public, and Nvidia purchased around 1.73 million shares in the company the following year.“He’s an amazing person, engineer and leader,” Mohajer said. “Our relationship with him has been great.”
Work-life balance through passion
Mohajer said his passion for building SoundHound blurred the lines between personal life and work. “Work-life balance is not a problem because I really enjoy it,” he explained. “If you work to live, then work-life balance is a big question… but in my case, I really enjoy my work.”The SoundHound chief described waking up before 5 a.m. to get what he called his “golden hours” of productivity. Even while doing household chores or exercising, he said, ideas for work often flowed naturally.“I do spend a lot of hours working. And even sometimes I go wash dishes and I’m still thinking about my work,” Mohajer said. “That can be therapeutic, and it can give you really good ideas.”