Just as Steve Jobs made the black turtleneck his trademark, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has turned the leather jacket into a symbol of his keynote appearances and major product reveals. Now, one of those jackets—signed by Huang himself—is up for auction at Sotheby’s, with the current bid standing at $70,000. The distinctive garment was autographed at Hon Hai Tech Day, hosted by Foxconn.
A Verified Piece of Silicon Valley History
The jacket is a black Tom Ford blouson crafted from Nappa grain leather. According to the Sotheby’s listing, it is “an iconic garment associated with some of the most consequential moments in modern technology,” noting that Huang wore the jacket for more than a decade during Nvidia’s major product launches, developer conferences, and even while eating zhajiangmian noodles at a street-side stall. Its authenticity has been confirmed through photo-matching by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) to Huang’s appearance at Hon Hai Tech Day in Taipei on October 18, 2023, while the signature itself has been verified by James Spence Authentication (JSA).
Much like the Jobs uniform of a turtleneck and Levi’s 501 jeans, Huang’s leather jacket has become visual shorthand for innovation in Silicon Valley. He has worn various Tom Ford leather jackets at GPU reveals, shareholder meetings, product unveilings, and on the cover of Time magazine.
The Price of a Cultural Artifact
A brand-new Tom Ford jacket in a similar style retails between $5,000 and $10,000, roughly the price of a single Blackwell AI chip. The signed version, however, has already attracted a far larger premium. At its current bid of $70,000, the cost is equivalent to the market rate for roughly 16 RTX 5090 GPUs, though it remains substantially less than a full Blackwell-based server system. For collectors, that sum represents a tangible piece of modern semiconductor history in the making.
The auction runs through July 17, with the jacket on display live in New York through an arrangement with Long Journey Ventures. All proceeds will benefit the Edge Institute, a nonprofit organization. The Sotheby’s listing explains that the funds will support fellowships, grants, and residencies designed to help emerging builders pursue their projects and find their higher purpose.
Source: www.sothebys.com
