The Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang campaign has drawn more than 115,000 signatures, calling on Nvidia’s board to bring back the company’s former chief executive. The petition, called “Stand with Jensen”, passed that total by Saturday afternoon, November 14, according to its website.
The petition website said the signers include 5,965 current Nvidia employees, 1,108 former employees and 63,063 shareholders. Notable supporters include Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, Replit chief executive Amjad Masad, Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator chief executive Garry Tan. Shopify chief executive Tobi Lutke and Fundstrat’s Tom Lee have also signed.
Musk posted on X on November 13: “A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen, and I’m signing it too.” The Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang page lists Musk first as a shareholder.
The Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang text states that its signers are “concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process” and demands that the board “bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts”. It also calls on the board to ensure a fair investigation and provide more information to the public. “Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice,” the petition says.
Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang and the resignation
Huang resigned on Thursday, November 12, as president, chief executive and board member, effective immediately. The move ended a 33-year run as co-founder and chief executive of the chipmaker, which he founded in 1993 and built into one of the world’s most valuable companies. Nvidia announced the resignation on November 12, and the board had accepted it on November 11, according to a regulatory filing.
Huang stepped down four days after acknowledging an affair with a chip executive whom United States intelligence officials suspect was recruited by China’s top spy agency. The executive, Alice Huang, is a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed and is not related to Jensen Huang. News reports have also suggested that Huang engaged in multiple extramarital affairs.
The former chief executive has agreed to testify before Congress. The House Foreign Affairs Committee wants him to appear on December 1 and has warned of a subpoena. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on November 12 that there had been “no conclusions reached by the Department of Justice, or by me” about whether Alice Huang was a spy, according to Reuters.
Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang and the board’s response
Nvidia appointed chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive while it searches for a permanent replacement. The board also appointed board member Harvey C. Jones as its first chair.
The board’s own investigation into Huang began on November 8. Directors later hired the law firm Wachtell Lipton, led by former acting United States Attorney Joon H. Kim. Nvidia is continuing its own investigation into Huang, according to The Information. The board has given no sign of reversing course, and the decision rests with its directors: under the company’s bylaws, a majority of directors in office controls who holds executive posts, which means six of the 10 remaining directors would have to vote him back. Shareholders get no direct vote on the chief executive. The Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang campaign has no power to force the board’s hand.
The Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang campaign grew quickly, passing 21,000 signatures by Friday evening in the United States before reaching more than 115,000 by Saturday afternoon. A separate letter that spread online on Friday, claiming senior Nvidia executives had demanded the board resign, was fake, vice-president Bryan Catanzaro said on X.
Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang and the market fallout
Nvidia’s stock price fell sharply through the week as the leadership crisis unfolded. Huang’s departure is also expected to leave a gap in funding for artificial intelligence startups, according to venture capitalists and founders. The Musk petition Nvidia Jensen Huang campaign says on its website that it is independent of Nvidia and Huang, and that signers’ affiliations are self-reported and unverified, so the counts are best read as a rough gauge of support rather than a verified headcount.
Nvidia’s new interim chief executive, Colette Kress, reports quarterly earnings on November 17.