NVIDIA employed approximately 42,000 people across 38 countries at the close of fiscal year 2026, with 31,000 in research and development and 11,000 in sales, marketing, operations, and administrative roles, according to Form 10-K filings on the SEC EDGAR system. That R&D-heavy mix has held for half a decade.
The single-question companion page tracks the same headcount answer in shorter form at the Nvidia employee count headcount data.
Key Takeaways
- NVIDIA’s workforce reached approximately 42,000 at the fiscal 2026 close, up from 18,975 at the end of fiscal 2021, an expansion of roughly 2.2x over five years.
- 31,000 of approximately 42,000 employees work in research and development, roughly three-quarters of total headcount, the highest R&D share among large-cap semiconductor firms.
- More than 80% of the workforce hold technical roles, and more than half hold an advanced degree, per the FY26 10-K Item 1 Human Capital disclosure.
- Fiscal 2026 turnover sat at 3.7%, with over 40% of new hires sourced from employee referrals, both retention signals the company calls out in its 10-K.
- Revenue per employee climbed to roughly 5.14 (in millions of dollars per head) in fiscal 2026, up from roughly 3.63 (in millions of dollars per head) in fiscal 2025.
- Stock-based compensation expense for fiscal 2026 reached $6,386 (in millions), with $4,676 routed to R&D headcount, roughly three-quarters of the total.
- NVIDIA withheld approximately 51 million common shares valued at $7.9 billion during fiscal 2026 to cover employee tax obligations on vesting equity awards.
Editor’s Choice
- Total headcount at fiscal 2026 close: approximately 42,000 employees across 38 countries.
- R&D engineering and research staff: 31,000 people, the largest research-headcount block disclosed by any U.S. semiconductor company.
- Sales, marketing, operations, and administrative staff: 11,000 people.
- Net headcount additions in fiscal 2026 (FY25 to FY26): approximately 6,000 new positions, the second-largest single-year add on record after FY25’s 6,400 net adds.
- Headquarters footprint: approximately 3 million square feet of owned and leased office and building space for its corporate headquarters.
- Executive officers named in the FY26 proxy disclosure: 5 named executive officers, led by founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.
| Headline metric (fiscal 2026) | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total employees | ~42,000 | 10-K Item 1 |
| R&D employees | 31,000 | 10-K Item 1 |
| Non-R&D employees | 11,000 | 10-K Item 1 |
| Countries | 38 | 10-K Item 1 |
| Turnover rate | 3.7% | 10-K Item 1 |
| Stock-based compensation | $6,386 (in millions) | 10-K Note 3 |
| Shares withheld for taxes | 51 million ($7.9 billion) | 10-K Item 5 |
Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year (SEC EDGAR) and NVIDIA Q4 press release
Recent Developments
- Fiscal 2026 10-K filing: NVIDIA disclosed approximately 42,000 employees in 38 countries in its fiscal 2026 Form 10-K filed with the SEC.
- February 2026: NVIDIA reported fiscal 2026 full-year revenue of $215.9 billion, up 65% year over year, per the company’s Q4 FY2026 results.
- February 2026: R&D headcount reached 31,000 in fiscal 2026, representing the largest one-year R&D headcount increase (3,900 net adds) on record.
- February 2026: Fiscal 2026 stock-based compensation expense totaled $6,386 (in millions), with $4,676 (in millions) routed to research and development.
- February 2026: Net share withholding for fiscal 2026 totaled approximately 51 million common shares valued at $7.9 billion to cover employee tax obligations.
- February 2026: Aggregate unearned stock-based compensation stood at $14.8 billion at fiscal 2026 close, expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.3 years for RSUs and PSUs.
NVIDIA Total Headcount by Fiscal Year
- Fiscal 2026 (year ended January 25, 2026): approximately 42,000 employees.
- Fiscal 2025 (year ended January 26, 2025): approximately 36,000 employees.
- Fiscal 2024 (year ended January 28, 2024): approximately 29,600 employees in 36 countries.
- Fiscal 2023 (year ended January 29, 2023): 26,196 employees in 35 countries.
- Fiscal 2022 (year ended January 30, 2022): 22,473 employees in 32 countries.
- Fiscal 2021 (year ended January 31, 2021): 18,975 employees in 29 countries.
- Cumulative 5-year growth FY21 to FY26: approximately 23,025 net hires, a roughly 2.2x workforce expansion.
- Two-year growth FY24 to FY26: 12,400 net adds, concentrated in the AI compute hiring window.
| Fiscal year | Year-end date | Total headcount | R&D | Non-R&D | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY26 | Jan 25, 2026 | ~42,000 | 31,000 | 11,000 | 38 |
| FY25 | Jan 26, 2025 | ~36,000 | 27,100 | 8,900 | 38 |
| FY24 | Jan 28, 2024 | ~29,600 | 22,200 | 7,400 | 36 |
| FY23 | Jan 29, 2023 | 26,196 | 19,532 | 6,664 | 35 |
| FY22 | Jan 30, 2022 | 22,473 | 16,242 | 6,231 | 32 |
| FY21 | Jan 31, 2021 | 18,975 | 13,532 | 5,443 | 29 |
Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K filings across the six-year span (SEC EDGAR)
Two periods stand out. The FY21 to FY24 phase added about 10,600 net heads across three years, while the FY24 to FY26 phase added 12,400 across two, meaning the AI compute era accelerated NVIDIA hiring by roughly 75% relative to the immediate post-pandemic cycle. The same six-year time series approach drives our stats methodology, which compiles SEC 10-K headcount disclosures across the technology coverage map.
NVIDIA R&D Headcount and Workforce Composition
- R&D engineering and research employees at fiscal 2026 close: 31,000 of approximately 42,000 total employees.
- R&D share of total workforce: roughly three-quarters of total headcount at fiscal 2026 close.
- One-year R&D headcount increase: 3,900 net additions over fiscal 2025, the largest such single-year increase across the time series.
- Technical-role concentration: more than 80% of the workforce holds technical roles.
- Advanced-degree concentration: More than half of the workforce holds an advanced degree, per the FY26 Human Capital disclosure.
- Referral-driven hiring: over 40% of new hires in fiscal 2026 came from employee referrals.
- Annual turnover: 3.7% in fiscal 2026, a figure NVIDIA cites as evidence of its retention program.
By the numbers: Per NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 10-K, 31,000 of the company’s 42,000 employees engaged in research and development, roughly three-quarters of total headcount at the close of fiscal year. The R&D base grew by 3,900 heads year over year, the largest one-year R&D add in the company’s six-year disclosed time series.
NVIDIA Revenue per Employee and Gross Profit per Employee
- Fiscal 2026 revenue per employee: approximately $5.14 million per head (revenue $215.9 billion divided by total headcount of approximately 42,000).
- Fiscal 2025 revenue per employee: approximately $3.63 million per head (revenue $130.5 billion divided by 36,000 employees).
- Fiscal 2024 revenue per employee: approximately $2.06 million per head (NVIDIA’s fiscal 2024 revenue of $60.92 billion, per the FY24 Q4 press release, divided by 29,600 employees).
- Two-year revenue-per-head expansion FY24 to FY26: a 2.5x ratio over the AI compute hiring window.
- Fiscal 2026 gross profit per employee: approximately $3.66 million per head (applying the 71.1% GAAP gross margin for fiscal 2026 to revenue, then dividing by headcount).
- Fiscal 2026 operating income per employee: approximately $3.10 million per head (operating income of $130.4 billion divided by headcount).
- Fiscal 2026 net income per employee: approximately $2.86 million per head (net income of $120.1 billion divided by headcount).
Key finding: Per NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 disclosures, fiscal 2026 revenue reached $215.9 billion, up 65% year over year. Against 42,000 employees, that works out to roughly 5.14 in millions of dollars per head. Few large-cap technology workforces show that kind of two-year revenue-per-head expansion. The AI-pure-play companies tracked in our OpenAI employee count coverage operate at a smaller scale but show a similar revenue-per-head trajectory.
NVIDIA Stock-Based Compensation and Equity Awards
- Total fiscal 2026 stock-based compensation expense: $6,386 (in millions), per Note 3 of the FY26 10-K.
- R&D share of stock-based compensation: $4,676 (in millions), roughly three-quarters of total SBC.
- Sales, general and administrative SBC: $1,449 (in millions) for fiscal 2026.
- Cost of revenue SBC: $261 (in millions) for fiscal 2026.
- RSU, PSU, and market-based PSU shares granted in fiscal 2026: 70 (in millions of shares).
- Estimated total grant-date fair value of fiscal 2026 awards: $9,389 (in millions).
- Weighted average grant-date fair value per share: $133.97 per share for fiscal 2026 grants.
- Aggregate unearned stock-based compensation at fiscal 2026 close: $14.8 billion, expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.3 years for RSUs and PSUs and 0.9 years for the employee stock purchase plan.
- Stock-based compensation per employee, fiscal 2026: roughly 152 (in thousands of dollars per head) (total SBC of $6,386 million divided by approximately 42,000 employees).
Worth noting: Per NVIDIA’s fiscal 2026 Note 3, stock-based compensation reached $6,386 (in millions), with $4,676 (in millions) flowing to research and development, roughly three-quarters of the total. Aggregate unearned stock-based compensation stood at $14.8 billion at fiscal 2026 close, expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.3 years for RSUs and PSUs.
NVIDIA RSU Share Withholding and Tax-Settlement Outflow
- Fiscal 2026 net share withholding total: approximately 51 million common shares withheld under net-settlement equity programs.
- Aggregate value of fiscal 2026 net share withholding: $7.9 billion in withholding-related share value.
- Average implied share value at withholding: roughly 155 (in dollars per share) across the fiscal 2026 withholding events.
- Withholding pattern: NVIDIA cites that the program covers tax withholding obligations of awards under its employee equity incentive program.
- Relative scale: the $7.9 billion outflow is roughly five-sixths of the fiscal 2026 grant-date fair value of new RSU and PSU awards, showing tax-driven dilution offset roughly tracking new grant value at this period.
- Per-employee tax settlement value: roughly 188 (in thousands of dollars per head) of withheld share value (total $7.9 billion divided by approximately 42,000 employees).
| Equity outflow metric | FY26 disclosed value |
|---|---|
| Net shares withheld | ~51 million |
| Aggregate withholding value | $7.9 billion |
| Implied price per withheld share (dollars) | ~155 |
| Coverage scope | Net share settlement on RSU and PSU vests |
Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K Item 5 Restricted Stock Unit Share Withholding (SEC EDGAR)
NVIDIA Office Locations and Geographic Footprint
- Corporate headquarters: Santa Clara, California, where NVIDIA was incorporated in California in April 1993 and reincorporated in Delaware in April 1998.
- Total corporate real estate: approximately 3 million square feet of owned and leased office and building space for corporate headquarters.
- Domestic data center footprint: leased data center space in Santa Clara, California.
- Primary international footprint: China, India, Israel, and Taiwan for data centers, R&D, and sales and administrative purposes.
- Country count, fiscal 2026: 38 countries total, up from 29 countries at fiscal 2021 close.
- Country additions FY21 to FY26: 9 net new countries added over the AI hiring window.
- Acquisition expansion context: the acquisition of Mellanox in 2020 expanded offerings to include networking and seeded the international DPU and networking footprint.
| Geographic dimension | Fiscal 2026 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California |
| Corporate real estate | ~3 million sq ft |
| Total countries | 38 |
| Primary international locations | China, India, Israel, Taiwan |
| Country additions vs FY21 | +9 |
Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K Item 1 Business and Item 2 Properties (SEC EDGAR)
NVIDIA Leadership Tenure, Attrition, and Retention
- Named executive officers at fiscal 2026 close: 5 executive officers, disclosed in the FY26 10-K Item 1.
- Founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang: age 63, co-founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors since inception, a tenure of more than three decades.
- CFO Colette M. Kress: age 58, joined NVIDIA in 2013 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
- EVP Worldwide Field Operations Ajay K. Puri: age 71, joined NVIDIA in 2005 as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, and became Executive Vice President, Worldwide Field Operations in 2009.
- EVP Operations Debora Shoquist: age 71, joined NVIDIA in 2007 as Senior Vice President of Operations.
- EVP and General Counsel Timothy S. Teter: age 59, joined NVIDIA in 2017.
- Fiscal 2026 employee turnover: 3.7%, a retention signal the company calls out in its Human Capital Management disclosure.
- Referral hiring share, fiscal 2026: over 40% of new hires came from employee referrals.
- Compensation and benefits design intent: NVIDIA states that compensation and benefits are designed to reward performance and align employee interests with those of shareholders through equity participation and comprehensive health and financial wellness programs.
| Executive officer | Age | Role | Joined NVIDIA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jen-Hsun Huang | 63 | President and CEO | 1993 (co-founder) |
| Colette Kress | 58 | EVP and CFO | 2013 |
| Ajay Puri | 71 | EVP, Worldwide Field Operations | 2005 (SVP); 2009 (EVP) |
| Debora Shoquist | 71 | EVP, Operations | 2007 |
| Timothy Teter | 59 | EVP and General Counsel | 2017 |
Source: NVIDIA Corporation Form 10-K Item 1 Information About Our Executive Officers (SEC EDGAR)
Across SQ Magazine’s coverage of large-cap workforces, ecosystem lock-in and equity-driven retention tend to predict tenure better than satisfaction scores alone. The five-officer cohort at NVIDIA averages over a decade of company tenure each, with founder Jen-Hsun Huang at more than three decades, and the company’s 3.7% turnover signals that pattern extending to the broader 42,000-person base.
Peer workforce trajectories sit in the same band of SEC-10-K-driven coverage. Tesla workforce data tracks an EV-manufacturing labor pattern that contrasts sharply with NVIDIA’s R&D-heavy mix.
Conclusion
NVIDIA’s 42,000-person workforce, roughly three-quarters of it in research and development, anchors a revenue base that crossed $215.9 billion in fiscal 2026, a 2.5x revenue-per-employee expansion since fiscal 2024. The R&D-heavy mix, 3.7% turnover, and over 40% referral hiring share point to a workforce built for engineering depth, with stock-based compensation expense of $6,386 (in millions) and $14.8 billion of unearned awards over a 2.3-year vesting horizon.
The six-year time series from 18,975 to 42,000 employees offers the cleanest disclosed signal of how AI compute demand reshaped semiconductor labor.
