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A casual photo of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sharing fried chicken with the chiefs of Samsung and Hyundai has gone viral in South Korea, offering a glimpse into his unusual status as both a tech titan and pop-culture icon. The image, taken during Huang’s recent visit to Seoul, shows him seated informally with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung — a rare sight of three of South Korea’s most powerful business figures in one frame.
What caught many observers’ attention, however, was a small but telling detail: a plate of chicken placed directly in front of Huang, while the others appeared to serve or watch him eat. Online commenters noted the scene symbolized the respect — even reverence — Huang commands in the tech world. In South Korea, where hierarchy and hospitality carry deep cultural weight, the gesture underscored Huang’s elevated stature as the face of the global AI hardware boom.
The photo, widely shared on social media and local news outlets, captured more than a dinner — it reflected how Huang’s influence now extends beyond Silicon Valley boardrooms into the upper echelons of Asia’s corporate elite.
What caught many observers’ attention, however, was a small but telling detail: a plate of chicken placed directly in front of Huang, while the others appeared to serve or watch him eat.
This is a bit of a stretch. My guess is that they were in a casual dining restaurant and had ordered several dishes that hadn’t all arrived at the table yet. Since the food wasn’t fully served, the reporters likely asked them to pose for a photo and say a few words for the video report (you can see the wireless mic on the table). The plates for the two Korean participants were placed away from them because the food wasn’t ready yet and they hadn’t started eating.
They’re three big guys — I don’t think they’d only order such a small amount of food as shown in the picture.
Another possible explanation for why the plates were placed away from the Samsung Chairman and the Hyundai Motor Chairman is that they had just received gifts (the Nvidia DGX systems) from Jensen Huang and needed more table space to look at them.
This is a sideshow to the annual APEC meeting. More importantly, according to the same report:
"Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Huang plans this week to unveil contracts to supply chips to Samsung and Hyundai."
In today’s world, Samsung and Hyundai will probably pay several billion dollars to acquire Nvidia’s AI products. In a sense, those Jensen's “gifts” are actually very expensive.
