Nvidia Staff and Elon Musk Push for Jensen Huang’s Return Amid Leadership Shakeup

Some Nvidia employees are urging the company’s board to reinstate co-founder Jensen Huang as CEO after his abrupt resignation, according to internal correspondence cited by WIRED. An internal post asking directors to consider employee views before acting drew more than 1,600 comments, most of which supported Huang’s return. Elon Musk also publicly backed the effort, saying on X that he would sign a petition to bring Huang back.

A longtime Nvidia engineer submitted the post before Huang resigned, requesting that directors share the findings of their investigation and formally ask staff whether Huang should remain CEO. One employee sent a companywide email calling for more transparency about the exit, and about two dozen employees backed the message on LinkedIn shortly after the resignation. An employee told WIRED that some feared Nvidia would suffer without its founder, who led the company for 33 years.

An independent, volunteer-run campaign called Stand with Jensen published an open letter asking Nvidia to reinstate Huang while an outside investigation establishes the facts. Organizers argued that Huang should have a chance to respond before the board reaches a final decision. The letter also asks Nvidia to disclose the scope of the inquiry, how it will remain independent, and when it is expected to conclude, as well as to explain what evidence was considered and how employees’ and shareholders’ interests were weighed.

Musk’s post on X said, “A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen, and I’m signing it too,” and The Washington Post reported that his name appeared on the public letter. Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan said he signed the open letter, and Replit CEO Amjad Masad urged others to sign while helping the site handle increased traffic. The campaign accepts self-reported signatory details and organizers said they were removing fake entries.

Nvidia’s board opened an independent investigation on November 8 after reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. The board said it had no reason to believe US national security or company secrets had been compromised. Huang acknowledged in an email to staff that he had been unfaithful to his wife and said he would cooperate. Nvidia announced his resignation as president, CEO, and board member on November 12, following reports of an alleged relationship with an executive who reported directly to him.

Finance chief Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO while retaining her CFO role, and longtime director Harvey C. Jones has become board chair. Nvidia said it would consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent position. Many employees had expected the inquiry to conclude before any leadership changes, according to WIRED.