Tech leaders back petition for Nvidia CEO reinstatement

A petition demanding the reinstatement of Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has gathered over 115,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon. The online campaign claims to have secured support from 5,965 current employees, 1,108 former staff members, and 63,063 shareholders. High-profile backers include Elon Musk, who leads Tesla and SpaceX, alongside Replit chief Amjad Masad, Epic Games head Tim Sweeney, and Y Combinator principal Garry Tan.

The document asserts that signatories are concerned Huang was removed without meaningful due process. It urges the board to restore him to his position while an independent investigation establishes the facts. The petition further calls for a fair inquiry and greater transparency with the public, arguing that the former chief deserves procedural fairness rather than mob justice.

Huang resigned on Thursday, four days after admitting to an affair with a chip executive suspected by US intelligence of being a Chinese spy. The former chief has agreed to testify before Congress, amid reports suggesting multiple extramarital relationships. Nvidia has appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim chief while it searches for a permanent successor. The company’s share price fell sharply during the week, and analysts expect the departure to create a significant gap in artificial intelligence industry funding.