Elon Musk has backed calls to reinstate Jensen Huang as Nvidia's chief executive, saying the chipmaker could lose "critical" business deals without its former CEO, who stepped down amid controversy over reports of his extramarital affairs.
In a post on X on Saturday, Musk said Huang had managed Nvidia's supply chain "brilliantly" and that several business arrangements depended on personal assurances from the former chief rather than formal contracts.
"Many of these deals were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract," Musk said.
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“If Jensen gave me his word about compute delivery or I asked for components to be accelerated, he always came through,” he added.
“Sure, we’d put together a purchase order at some point later, but I never for a second thought it wouldn’t happen,” Musk said.
Musk backs petition to bring Huang back
Musk also voiced support for an effort to reinstate Huang, earlier, saying he would sign a petition seeking the former CEO's return.
“A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I’m signing it too,” he wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}“A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I’m signing it too,” he wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}However, Musk did not clarify whether he was referring to an initiative involving Nvidia employees.
Some employees at the chipmaker have also called for Huang's return, news outlet WIRED reported on Friday, citing internal correspondence reviewed by the publication.
According to the report, an engineer had posted a suggestion to Nvidia's internal "suggestion box" ahead of Huang's resignation, urging the company's board to consider employee sentiment before taking any action.
The submission received more than 1,600 comments, with several employees asking board members to find a way to bring Huang back, the report said.
Huang admits to affair, apologises to family
Nvidia announced on Thursday that Huang had resigned as president, CEO and a member of the board with immediate effect. The company also named its executive vice president and chief financial officer, Colette Kress, as interim CEO.
Huang stepped down following revelations about his extramarital affairs, including allegations involving a suspected Chinese spy. However, neither Jensen nor Nvidia identified the person involved.
The New York Times identified the woman as Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and business executive. China's foreign ministry has dismissed the allegations that she was a spy.
Over the weekend, Huang acknowledged having an affair and apologised to his family in an email to Nvidia employees, which was later published by the company.
"I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children," Huang wrote on Sunday.
The 63-year-old co-founded Nvidia more than three decades ago alongside Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem. Huang and his wife, Lori, reportedly have two children, both of whom now work at the company, according to the Associated Press.