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Nvidia employees praise Jensen Huang amid affairs row: 'Jensen built far more than NVIDIA'
Jensen Huang stepped down as president, CEO and board member following revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs.
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Nvidia employees recently took to social media to praise former CEO Jensen Huang, recalling his leadership, professional guidance and personal kindness, days after he resigned from the company. Huang stepped down as president, CEO and board member following revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs, one of which involved a woman accused of spying for China. The company’s board appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim chief executive while it searches for a permanent successor.
Amid the developments, Vartika Singh, who has worked at Nvidia for nearly eight years and lists herself as Lead, Strategic AI on LinkedIn, shared an emotional account of her experience working with Huang. She said she wanted to highlight a side of the former CEO that she hoped would not get lost amid the controversy.
“I wrote this from the heart, about someone I had the privilege of working closely with for years. No agenda. Just a side of Jensen I hope doesn’t get lost in the noise,” Singh wrote in a post on X.
Singh recalled how Huang supported researchers, founders and startups when they were struggling to survive or trying to turn ideas into reality. She said he often recognised possibilities that others could not yet see and committed his time, attention and Nvidia’s resources to helping them succeed. “I have worked at NVIDIA for nearly eight years. I have never worked for anyone quite like Jensen Huang, and I doubt I ever will,” Singh wrote.
“Much has been written about his extraordinary vision and the company he built. But there is another side to Jensen that I have had the privilege of witnessing. And I am only speaking to what I have personally witnessed,” she continued.
“I have watched him stand behind researchers, founders, and startups when few others would. Companies struggling to survive, ideas that seemed too early, people whose ambitions exceeded their resources. He saw possibilities most of us could not yet comprehend. And he committed his time, attention, and NVIDIA’s resources to helping them succeed. Some of these companies might not exist today without him,” she added.
In the post, Singh praised Jensen Huang’s long-term thinking and ability to connect technology, markets and people. Recalling her own professional journey, she said that Huang’s guidance and willingness to stand behind her work helped her navigate difficult organisational transitions and periods of uncertainty.
However, Singh said what she would remember most was his humanity. She revealed that her sister had been battling brain cancer and that her condition deteriorated during a visit to California. The family was faced with difficult medical decisions, overwhelming hospital expenses and the possibility of losing her far away from home.
“Despite everything on his shoulders, Jensen found the time to care. He helped my family through circumstances that seemed impossible. And he took the time to meet my sister,” Singh wrote, adding that she would treasure a photograph taken during their meeting.
Recalling what Huang told her, she wrote: “I am proud of you. Treasure this time together.” Singh said the experience taught her something about leadership that no professional experience could have. She added that Huang had built more than Nvidia, helping create an ecosystem of researchers, entrepreneurs, engineers and companies whose futures became intertwined with his vision.
“Organizations evolve, leadership changes, and new chapters begin. But the influence of someone who has shaped so many people, ideas, and possibilities endures far beyond any role or title,” she wrote.
She concluded by thanking Huang for his guidance, for believing in people and ideas, and for showing kindness when her family needed it most.
(Also Read: Colette Kress, Nvidia finanace chief for over a decade, replaces Jensen Huang as interim CEO)
Nvidia researcher shares how Jensen Huang ‘rescued’ him
Separately, Gavan Woolery, a senior research scientist at Nvidia who has been with the company for nearly seven years, also shared his experience of how Huang’s leadership had affected his career.
Woolery said he was told that he was among just three people whose hiring Huang had personally approved during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the company had a hiring freeze.
“Jensen Huang rescued me from probably living in debt the rest of my life,” Woolery wrote in a post on X.
He added that he had never spoken to Huang and had only passed him once at the company’s headquarters. However, Woolery said he had yet to come across a better leader. “His personal life is frankly none of my business. But as a leader, I have yet to meet a better one,” he wrote.
Woolery also criticised the decision to remove Huang, claiming that his departure could have serious financial consequences for the company. “Ousting him is financial suicide, and I can only assume there is a hidden ulterior motive because I can’t fathom any other reason for destroying the company’s value,” he added.
Jensen Huang's resignation
Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's chief executive on Thursday, ending his 33-year tenure at the helm of the AI giant he co-founded. The 63-year-old, who is married, reportedly had an affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence agencies have assessed to be linked to Chinese intelligence. The New York Times reported that Huang had also been involved in an extramarital affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reports directly to him.
Nvidia appointed CFO Colette Kress as the company’s interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement.
