By Geoff Weiss
Publication Date: 2026-09-25 09:00:00
For some Nvidia employees, the golden handcuffs of the AI boom are coming loose.
After nearly a decade at Nvidia working on chip design and AI models for biology, Ken Janik wanted to spend his time on something more personally meaningful.
So the 56-year-old left the company in August to launch his own AI research outfit, Cairn Institute, where projects range from helping the visually impaired to studying humpback whale communication. Janik said that stock played a role in the timing of his departure, as he waited until after an especially valuable stock vest in June before leaving. He said his next vest in September wasn’t significant.
“I don’t need to work anymore,” Janik said. “Why wouldn’t I try to do the best I can in the time I’ve got left?”
Tech giants use stock grants that vest over time as a strategy to retain employees. At Nvidia, this equity has exploded. Grants typically vest over four years, meaning some awarded in 2022 — before ChatGPT kicked off the AI boom that sent shares soaring — became incredibly valuable and have now fully vested. Nvidia shares have risen roughly 1,400% since the end of 2022.
Grants awarded later, when Nvidia’s share price was already much higher, haven’t benefited from the same extraordinary run-up. This can create a natural exit point for some employees who are weighing retirement.
Zuhayeer Musa, cofounder of compensation-sharing site Levels.fyi, said Nvidia’s rapid ascent can flip the effect…
