Trump Suggests Former Apple CEO Tim Cook Should Lead Nvidia

US President Donald Trump has publicly named the person he would like to see run Nvidia following the resignation of its chief executive, Jensen Huang: Tim Cook, the former CEO of technology giant Apple. Huang stepped down this morning after reports of affairs, including one with a woman described as an alleged Chinese spy. Until a successor is chosen, the chipmaker is being led on an interim basis by its chief financial officer.

Trump posted his idea on his Truth Social platform shortly after Huang's resignation was announced. He wrote that there is only one man to take Huang's place, Cook, and called it a case of a legend replacing a legend. Cook stopped leading Apple on September 1 and moved into the role of executive chairman.

Trump: Cook would be a great candidate

In an episode of Stephen A. Smith's podcast Straight Shooter, published later today, Trump repeated the suggestion. He said Huang is very hard to replace, but that Cook, in his words, has done one of the greatest jobs in business history and would be a great candidate to run Nvidia. Trump also claimed Apple would not be what it is today if Steve Jobs were still around.

Trump said he spoke with Huang the day before and that Huang is "going through hell." According to the president, Huang feels worst about his wife and family. Asked whether Huang should have stepped down, Trump said the key question is whether the woman was a spy, which he believes has not yet been determined. He added that Huang will end up on his feet, and called him a tremendous talent.

Cook is known for his ongoing relationship with Trump; last year he gave the president a 24k gold and glass statue. Apple and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Other tech leaders have also publicly voiced support for Huang since his resignation, according to the report.