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Some Nvidia employees want Jensen Huang back as CEO, believe ‘everyone makes mistakes’: Report
An Nvidia engineer reportedly submitted a post to an internal "suggestion box" asking the board to take employee sentiment into consideration.
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Jensen Huang resigned as chief executive officer of Nvidia on Thursday amid a scandal over his alleged multiple extramarital affairs. However, some company employees have called for his return, WIRED reported, citing internal correspondence.
Nvidia had announced that Huang resigned as president, CEO, and a member of the board, effective immediately.
The development came after Huang's admission of being unfaithful to his wife and reports of his other extramarital affairs drew widespread attention and sparked a crisis within the company.
Deep Dive
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Before Huang stepped down as CEO, an Nvidia engineer submitted a post to an internal "suggestion box" asking the board to take employee sentiment into consideration before making any decisions.
That has since drawn over 1,600 comments, many of which plead with board members to find a way to bring Huang back. "If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss," according to WIRED, one anonymous commenter said.
"We are all humans and can make mistakes. Jensen did so many good things and he needs a second chance,” wrote another, according to the publication.
According to the report, another employee defended Huang, saying everyone makes mistakes and that he needed a second chance. Another employee reportedly sent a company-wide email calling for transparency surrounding Huang's exit.
Huang's resignation left several employees stunned, with around two dozen staff members expressing support for him on LinkedIn, the report added.
An Nvidia employee, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told WIRED that support for Huang's reinstatement appeared widespread. According to the report, the staff is worried that the company will suffer without the founder.
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Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO - What we know so far
Huang resigned after reports of his extramarital affairs, including one with a suspected Chinese spy, came into the spotlight.
Nvidia did not give a reason for Huang's departure.
Earlier, The New York Times had reported that Huang had an affair with a businesswoman US intelligence suspected to be a Chinese spy, which Beijing has denied.
Meanwhile, following news reports of the relationship with a woman identified as former Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, Nvidia's then-CEO apologised for being "unfaithful to my wife."
Neither Nvidia nor Jensen Huang identified who he had been intimate with by name.
The company stated on Thursday that Colette Kress, who is Nvidia's chief financial officer (CFO) and executive vice president, will take over as the interim CEO.
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Furthermore, the US lawmakers have called Jensen Huang to face their questions in December.
In a post on X, Republican Senator Tim Scott said on Friday, "Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology."
Scott said he was requesting Huang and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick to testify in December before the Senate Banking Committee.
The senator wrote, "I am requesting that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee."
"The American people deserve answers," Scott added.
(with inputs from agencies)
