The Letter Groq Should Have Sent to the Employees Left Behind After the Nvidia Deal

Before we get to the letter itself, some context is required — mostly because the context is doing a lot of work here.

This week, Groq announced a “strategic” deal with Nvidia that was emphatically not an acquisition. Instead, Nvidia licensed Groq’s core inference technology, hired its founders and select senior leadership, and reportedly put a roughly $20 billion headline number into the ecosystem — a number that traveled extremely well on social media and extremely poorly to most employee bank accounts.

This structure meant something subtle but important: the people who built the company largely stayed put, while the people who mattered most to the deal quietly left for Nvidia badges, Nvidia compensation, and Nvidia certainty. No broad-based liquidity. No accelerated vesting. No “thank you for building the thing we just monetized.” Just vibes.

What follows is an imagined internal letter Groq might have sent to the employees who didn’t get offers, didn’t get paid, and didn’t get clarity — but did get a front-row seat to watching their company exit without them.

An Open Letter to Our Valued Team Members Who Did Not Go to Nvidia

Dear Groq Employee,

We’re reaching out today to address the exciting news you may have read about online, on Slack, or via a push notification that briefly made you feel optimistic before you remembered how private-company equity works.

As announced, Groq has entered into a transformational partnership with Nvidia, a promising up-and-coming AI hardware company that is doing its very best with limited resources, modest cash flows, and only a market capitalization larger than several continents. The agreement includes licensing our inference technology and welcoming some of our colleagues into Nvidia’s ecosystem — a milestone we encourage everyone to celebrate quietly and internally.

We understand there may be questions about what this means for you.

Let’s Address the Elephant (That You Are Not Riding)

Naturally, many of you have asked whether this deal constitutes an acquisition, a liquidity event, or anything resembling the exits described in startup lore and recruiting decks.

It does not.

This was a partnership — a flexible, modern, regulator-friendly structure designed to deliver maximum strategic value while minimizing the operational burden of treating all employees consistently. The distinction is crucial, legally speaking, and we’re grateful it exists.

While some colleagues will be transitioning to Nvidia, this should not be interpreted as favoritism. Rather, it reflects a highly selective alignment of roles, skills, and timing that just happened to include leadership, architects, and anyone whose absence would materially affect the deal.

About the Founders Leaving (But Not Leaving Leaving)

Yes, our founders and senior technical leaders are moving on to Nvidia. This is normal. Founders leave companies all the time — especially right after monetizing the most important parts of them.

This does not mean Groq is directionless. On the contrary, it means Groq is now free to explore exciting new futures unencumbered by the people who previously defined its vision. Think of it as decentralization, but emotional.

We ask that you view this moment not as an exit that happened without you, but as a growth opportunity happening around you.

Your Equity: A Journey, Not a Payout

Let’s talk about your equity, because legally we have to acknowledge it exists.

Your options remain valid, unchanged, and proudly illiquid. While the deal you read about did not include liquidity, acceleration, or secondary opportunities, it did preserve something far more important: optionality.

Optionality for future funding.
Optionality for future deals.
Optionality for a future where this all makes sense in hindsight.

We recognize this may not align with how the headlines felt. Headlines are aspirational. Cap tables are educational.

On Nvidia’s Inability to Do More

We’ve heard the whispers: Couldn’t Nvidia afford to take care of everyone?

While it’s true Nvidia generates staggering amounts of cash and could have written checks to employees without triggering an internal email thread, we must consider the broader implications. If Nvidia treated every contributor well, expectations would be set. Markets would react. A precedent would form.

And precedents are dangerous.

This deal reflects discipline — the kind of discipline that ensures shareholder value is preserved while gratitude remains theoretical.

What Happens Next

Groq will continue operating independently, powered by the dedication of those who remain. Your work matters. Your contributions are valued. Your LinkedIn updates are yours to manage.

We encourage everyone to stay focused, continue executing, and remember that value creation is a long-term process — particularly once the short-term value has already been extracted.

Final Thoughts

We know this moment may feel confusing.

You joined early.
You worked hard.
You believed in the mission.
You saw the number and briefly did math.

Please remember: this was a successful outcome. Just not the kind that requires distributing success evenly.

Warm regards,
Groq Leadership