An army of Nvidia employees is calling for the return of Jensen Huang just over twenty-four hours after his ignominious resignation from the tech behemoth he cofounded in 1993. Before the board of directors announced Thursday morning that Huang would be stepping aside and replaced by longtime CFO Colette Kress, a veteran engineer submitted an internal post urging the board to consider employee sentiment. The post has since transformed into a petition for the disgraced ex-CEO's return, gathering over 1,600 comments with widespread support for his reinstatement.
Key takeaways
- Jensen Huang resigned from Nvidia after cofounding the company in 1993, with CFO Colette Kress stepping in as his replacement.
- An internal employee post turned petition garnered more than 1,600 comments, largely supporting Huang's reinstatement.
- Huang is currently suspected of three extramarital affairs, including one with a woman believed by U.S. intelligence to be a Chinese spy.
- Industry figures have weighed in, comparing the situation to past Silicon Valley leadership ousters like Steve Jobs and Sam Altman.
Reactions from the Tech Industry and Staff
Current and former Nvidia staffers have publicly lamented Huang's departure, describing him as a visionary leader essential to the American AI effort. Denis Timonin, an engineer who left Nvidia in 2024 to start his own company, stated on LinkedIn that an affair should not outweigh decades of leadership and that the soap opera should not dictate his future. High-profile figures have also chimed in, with SpaceX owner Elon Musk noting it would be an honor to hire Huang, though acknowledging his own penchant for grandiose claims. Podcaster Lex Fridman compared Huang's departure to Steve Jobs's 1985 ousting from Apple, calling Nvidia's decision a huge mistake for America and humanity given the role of AI in defining the future.
The Shadow of Foreign Intelligence and Ongoing Investigations
While some supporters downplay the marital infidelity, the situation is complicated by allegations involving foreign intelligence. Huang is suspected of three extramarital affairs: one with a woman believed by U.S. intelligence agencies to be a Chinese spy, another with an Nvidia executive who reported to him, and a third with another Nvidia employee. An affair with a subordinate directly involves company business, but an alleged connection to a foreign intelligence asset introduces severe security concerns. David Sacks, former AI czar and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, declared on X that the spy narrative is collapsing, referencing a CNN report that U.S. national security officials disagree on whether the evidence proves the woman knowingly spied for China's Ministry of State Security. Nevertheless, CNN reported that some officials still view her as a significant counterintelligence risk, and the FBI's investigation remains ongoing.
Looking Ahead and Broader Implications
The push for Huang's return echoes the famous 2023 ousting and rapid reinstatement of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, though Altman's departure centered purely on board concerns over communication and leadership style. Whether employee backlash can force Nvidia's board to reverse course remains uncertain, particularly as the company faces external pressures. Nvidia must navigate its financial future amidst expected federal rules imposing new restrictions on advanced AI chips sent to overseas data centers to prevent Chinese companies from remotely accessing them. As national security officials and political figures continue to weigh in, the ultimate fate of Huang's leadership and Nvidia's trajectory hangs in the balance.
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