8 wild quotes from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's latest interview showing how disconnected AI leaders are from the real world — and why that's so dangerous
TechRadar
The Ezra Klein Show (New York Times podcast), recorded at Nvidia HQ
“Try to get a kid to do long division right now. The multiplication table is starting to be forgotten. Doing square roots, my goodness ... Basic math is being forgotten. Does it matter? ... Yeah. I don't think it does. I don't think it does”
Jensen Huangreported 23 September 2026- What you'll lose4/5
Long division, times tables and square roots.
- Condescension3/5
'Does it matter?'
- Tone-deafness5/5
He added that he does not know his own address or phone number.
- Doom1/5
A generation's arithmetic, written off.
- Hypocrisy0/5
None.
Full time13 pitchforksof a possible 25
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The occasion
The Ezra Klein Show (New York Times podcast), recorded at Nvidia HQ, reported 23 September 2026.
Context
Klein raised a study of 26,000 students suggesting AI helps students finish work faster but weakens the underlying skills. Huang agreed skills are fading, asked 'Does it matter?', Klein answered 'That's my question for you', and Huang said he did not think it does, adding 'We're going to discover new [skills], just maybe not those' and that he does not know his own address or phone number. The NYT episode page was not readable by shell (JavaScript wall), so the wording follows American Bazaar and Otakukart, which agree, and TechRadar, which prints it slightly condensed. The episode ran 2026-09-23.
Crowd reaction
Widespread criticism
TechRadar's piece on the interview opens 'What happened to Jensen Huang?' and calls him 'about as disconnected as a person can be from other humans' life experiences'; American Bazaar notes 'Huang's comments have led to some backlash'; AI Weekly's roundup of the NYT story shows the 'Does it matter?' exchange being shared on Bluesky (Karl Bode and others). Kotaku also covered it (URL seen in search results, page blocked to the shell).
- Primary source, transcript
- American Bazaar: Nvidia CEO Huang says basic math skills 'don't matter' in AI era
- TechRadar: 8 wild quotes from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's latest interview showing how disconnected AI leaders are from the real world — and why that's so dangerous
- OtakuKart: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says Forgetting Basic Math “Doesn’t Matter” in the AI Era
- Bitcoin.com News: The Subtext in Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s Take on Gen Alpha Math Skills
- Where the exact words are printed