Petition urges Nvidia board to reinstate ousted chief Jensen Huang
A petition calling for Jensen Huang's return as Nvidia CEO had gathered more than 115,000 signatures by Saturday, including Elon Musk's. Huang resigned on Thursday after admitting an affair with a chip executive suspected by U.S. intelligence of being a Chinese spy.
A petition urging the board of U.S. chipmaker Nvidia to reinstate recently ousted CEO Jensen Huang had collected more than 115,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon. It points to strong support for the executive at a moment of upheaval for the company, whose share price has fallen sharply over the week.
According to the petition website, signers include 5,965 current Nvidia employees, 1,108 former employees and 63,063 shareholders. Public backers include Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan.
What the signers demand
The petition says its authors are concerned that Huang was removed without meaningful due process. They call on the board to bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts. They also ask the board to ensure a fair investigation and to give the public more information. The text states: "Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice."
Background
Huang resigned on Thursday, four days after confessing to an affair with a chip executive suspected by U.S. intelligence of being a Chinese spy. The former CEO has agreed to testify before Congress, and news reports have also suggested he engaged in multiple extramarital affairs.
Nvidia has named chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent successor. Huang's departure is also expected to leave a large gap in funding for the artificial intelligence industry.
