Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is reportedly exploring a potential return to the company. Influential tech leaders, including Elon Musk, are campaigning for his reinstatement while the board continues an independent investigation into his departure.
California [US], November 16 (ANI): Amid controversy surrounding his alleged relationships within and outside the company, former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reportedly discussed the possibility of returning to lead the multi-trillion-dollar chipmaker with close associates, according to the Financial Times. This comes as influential Silicon Valley executives mobilise support for Huang’s reinstatement following his resignation.
According to the Financial Times, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, Huang has discussed a potential comeback with confidantes even as Nvidia’s board conducts an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his departure. An ally of Huang told the Financial Times that efforts were underway to build a network of influential technology executives to lobby for his return, including seeking support even from the White House. “Everyone that matters in tech outside the frontier labs loves Jensen,” the Financial Times quoted the ally as saying, adding that the campaign had Huang’s support.
The push to bring back the former Nvidia CEO has gained momentum, with several prominent technology executives publicly supporting a campaign calling on the company’s board to reinstate him. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney are among those backing an open letter demanding that the board “Bring Jensen Back”. In a post on X where he was replying to a user, Musk said, “A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I’m signing it too.”
According to the Financial Times, Huang also continues to enjoy considerable support among Nvidia employees, several of whom have publicly called for his return and signed the open letter. The latest developments come as Nvidia’s board explores potential successors, with Arm Holdings CEO Rene Haas emerging as one of the names under consideration, as per an earlier Financial Times report. Haas, who has led the SoftBank-backed British chipmaker since 2022, previously worked at Nvidia for around seven years more than a decade ago and is understood to maintain professional relationships with Huang and several members of the company’s board.
However, Nvidia indicated that its succession process remains at an early stage. The company’s board said it was “in the process of selecting a search firm” to identify a new chief executive and had not “formally engaged” with any candidates, the Financial Times reported. “Any speculation regarding individual candidates, whether internal or external, is premature,” the board added.
Huang announced his resignation last week after 33 years at the helm of Nvidia, with Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress currently serving as interim CEO. His departure followed reports of alleged extramarital relationships, including one involving Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, whom some US intelligence officials reportedly suspect of having links to Chinese intelligence services. The controversy also involved reports of an alleged relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reports to Huang. Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter, separately reported that Huang had an intimate relationship with a second company employee. Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and transformed it into one of the world’s leading suppliers of artificial intelligence chips, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the global AI industry. (ANI)