During a Sunday episode of the “20VC” podcast, Abridge CEO Shiv Rao described a late catch-up with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, including a midnight call and advice that pushed him to “fall in love with whatever the job is.” The conversation also came as Abridge p
A midnight phone call from Jensen Huang became a turning point for Shiv Rao’s approach to running his AI startup.
On a Sunday episode of the “20VC” podcast, Rao, CEO of healthcare AI company Abridge, recalled getting a call at midnight and recognizing it was Huang “on his way home.” Rao picked up, and Huang wanted to “unpack a challenge” Rao said he was experiencing.
Rao said he had emailed Huang earlier that day for guidance, with Nvidia listed as one of Abridge’s investors.. When Huang called back, Rao said he was impressed by how fast the response came.. “He wanted to unpack a challenge that I was experiencing. ” Rao said. describing the conversation as immediate help rather than distant advice.
The lesson Rao carried from that call was bluntly simple: “your job is to fall in love with whatever the job is.” Rao said Huang framed it as a mindset he could adopt—something Rao could “convince yourself” to do.
Abridge builds tools for transcribing and summarizing patient visits. The company was cofounded in 2018 by Rao, a cardiologist.
The episode landed as Abridge has been scaling its business financing: in June, the company raised a $300 million Series E round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Khosla Ventures, valuing Abridge at $5.3 billion.
Rao also described how that “bend” in personal preference has translated into lifestyle changes tied to growth.. He said one of the things he learned to “bend” his DNA to love was “living on an airplane.” He contrasted that with his earlier mindset. saying that if someone had caught him “like five years ago. ” he would have rejected that life and insisted. “Never.. We’re not going to do that.. We’re going to find other ways to grow and scale.”
But Rao said the job changed the calculus. “But this is what the job requires, and I enjoy it.”
Huang’s advice echoes how he has spoken publicly about work satisfaction.. Huang has repeatedly said it is easier to fall in love with what you do than to find what you love.. In a 2023 podcast. he said. “I loved it when I was a dishwasher. ” “I loved it when I was a busboy. ” and “I was delivering papers. ” adding. “I loved every single day at Nvidia that I’ve ever had. and I just learned to love what I’m doing.”
Taken together. the story moves from Rao’s midnight call—where Huang called quickly after an email and focused on Rao’s immediate challenge—to a practical takeaway Rao described as choosing to “fall in love” with the work itself. a shift that Rao then linked to changes such as “living on an airplane. ” even after he once said it would be unacceptable.
For now, Abridge sits in the middle of that push, with its recent June Series E—$300 million led by Andreessen Horowitz and joined by Khosla Ventures—bringing a $5.3 billion valuation as Rao puts Huang’s guidance into the daily rhythm of running the company.
Abridge Shiv Rao Jensen Huang Nvidia 20VC podcast Series E Andreessen Horowitz Khosla Ventures healthcare AI patient visit transcription startup leadership