Early retail bulls chart Nvidia's transformation from gaming icon to AI superpower — a ride that's paid for cars, dream homes, and lavish vacations

Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

• Nvidia has been a cash cow for retail investors lucky enough to buy before the huge AI-fueled rally.
• Shares of the company have gained 1,500% since 2019 as its GPUs power the AI revolution. 
• Early retail investors told Business Insider their gains have paid for cars, vacations, and dream homes. 

The dizzying rise of Nvidia stock in recent years has produced extraordinary gains for many retail investors...