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Flowers at Nvidia HQ, tech world sharing Jensen Huang stories mark CEO’s resignation amid affairs row
Nvidia named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO after Jensen Huang resigned immediately as president, chief executive, and director.
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Jensen Huang’s sudden exit from Nvidia amid a widening affairs scandal has sparked both solemn scenes outside the chipmaker’s headquarters and widespread reminiscences across the internet. Bouquets of flowers were laid outside the Santa Clara campus shortly after Huang resigned as CEO and board member on Thursday, with a woman seen weeping near the entrance. Meanwhile, social media timelines have filled with stories from tech figures recalling how Huang helped them.
Flowers outside Nvidia headquarters:
Several bouquets of flowers and one candle were photographed outside Nvidia headquarters after Huang resigned as the company CEO and president.
Also Read: Jensen Huang’s two children, Madison and Spencer Huang, earn over $1 million each at Nvidia
The company informed the public about the tech leader’s sudden departure amid an affair scandal in a statement. “Board of Directors announced today that Jensen Huang has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately.”
It added, “Jensen’s contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry.”
Tech world floods X with personal Jensen Huang stories
Across X, engineers, startup founders, and tech creators shared personal anecdotes defending Huang’s legacy as a leader despite the personal scandal that forced his exit.
Ali Kashani, CEO of Serve Robotics, recalled emailing Jensen in 2023 after an investor pulled out at the last minute.
He tweeted, “We didn’t have cash for payroll, and I was talking with bankruptcy lawyers. Jensen called me at 6am. Later that day, I was having dinner with his team to bridge the company.”
Alex Cheema, co-Founder at EXO Labs, claimed he received a reply from Jensen Huang within seven minutes of pitching a “crazy idea”.
“We were just a small startup with a crazy idea. Jensen took a bet on us. Jensen cares deeply about Open Source AI and Local AI.” He signed off his post by thanking the ousted tech founder.
Gavan Woolery, an employee at Nvidia, shared his story about how Jensen Huang saved him from “living in debt” for the rest of his life.
Inside the affairs scandal
Reports about his extramarital relationship with Alice Huang, suspected of being a Chinese spy, started emerging earlier this week. Following this, Huang admitted to marital infidelity in an internal memo to staff.
Days after his initial apology, a New York Times report alleged that Huang also engaged in an extramarital affair with Kimberly Powell, an Nvidia executive who reported directly to him.
Also Read: How Jensen Huang shaped Nvidia’s journey from graphics card maker to semiconductor leader
The controversy deepened when Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Huang had also been involved in an intimate relationship with a second unnamed Nvidia employee.
Amid these, Nvidia’s board, which had earlier launched an independent investigation, announced Huang’s immediate resignation as president, CEO, and director. The company appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim chief executive.
