Petition with 115,000 signatures demands Nvidia reinstate ousted CEO Jensen Huang

More than 115,000 signatures demand Huang's return

A petition urging Nvidia's board to reinstate recently ousted CEO Jensen Huang appears to have gathered more than 115,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon, according to TechCrunch, an unusually public backlash against a leadership shake-up at the AI industry's dominant chipmaker.

The petition's own tally, cited by TechCrunch, lists 5,965 current Nvidia employees, 1,108 former employees and 63,063 shareholders among the signers. High-profile supporters include Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. That so many current employees are willing to publicly challenge their own board underlines how divisive the removal has been inside the company.

What the petition demands

The petition says its signers are worried that Huang was pushed out without a genuine opportunity to respond to the allegations against him, and it asks the board to bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts. It also calls on directors to guarantee a fair investigation and to share more information with the public. In a line quoted by TechCrunch, the petition argues: "Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice."

The circumstances behind Huang's exit

According to TechCrunch, Huang resigned on Thursday, four days after confessing to an affair with a chip executive whom U.S. intelligence suspects of being a Chinese spy. News reports have since suggested the relationship was not an isolated incident, claiming Huang engaged in multiple extramarital affairs. Huang has also agreed to testify before Congress.

Nvidia under interim leadership

Nvidia has appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement, TechCrunch reports. The company's stock price fell sharply through the week, and TechCrunch notes that Huang's departure is also expected to leave a significant gap in AI industry funding.

Why it matters

Nvidia's chips power much of the modern AI industry, so turmoil at the very top of the company carries consequences far beyond one firm's org chart. A sharp fall in its share price ripples through the markets, and a funding gap left by Huang's exit could affect startups and research efforts across the sector.

The standoff also raises uncomfortable governance questions. Nvidia's board moved quickly once the affair and the suspected espionage connection came to light, but it now faces pressure from its own employees, shareholders and several of the most influential figures in tech, who argue the process was rushed. How the board responds, whether it agrees to an independent investigation, reinstates Huang or holds its line, could shape how other companies weigh due process against swift action in misconduct cases touching on national security. With Huang set to testify before Congress, the episode is unlikely to fade from view any time soon.