Jensen Huang weighs a comeback as Nvidia CEO as allies lobby the board to reinstate him
Jensen Huang has talked with people close to him about returning as CEO of Nvidia (NVDA), the Financial Times reports, three days after he resigned.
One of Huang's allies told the FT they are gathering Silicon Valley executives into a "war room" to press for his reinstatement. The group also plans to seek backing from the White House. The ally said Huang supports the effort.
The ally said: "Everyone that matters in tech outside the frontier labs loves Jensen."
Neither Nvidia nor Huang's spokesperson would comment.
The lobbying adds to a public campaign that grew over the weekend. An open letter asks the board to bring Huang back while an independent investigation runs, or to explain why his absence is in Nvidia's interest. The letter says it is not endorsed by Nvidia or Huang. Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney are among its backers.
Two large shareholders, Altimeter Capital and Atreides Management, also asked the board on Friday to keep Huang's return among its options.
The decision rests with the board. Huang does not hold a controlling stake, so unlike some founder-CEOs he cannot overrule it. Even his supporters see the problem. One person working on his return conceded, according to the FT: "Having an affair with a subordinate is a fireable offence."
Washington is pushing the other way. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on Sunday for a "dramatic shakeup" at Nvidia and said the board should hire its next CEO from outside the company.
Bessent also told Fox News he wants answers "in the next 10 days from the board and from the outside counsel."
Huang resigned on Thursday after reports of two affairs. One was with Alice Huang of Singapore-based Megaspeed, whom U.S. intelligence officials suspect of spying for China. The other was with an Nvidia employee who reported to him. The board's independent investigation into his conduct has not finished.
The board has also approached Arm Holdings (ARM) CEO Rene Haas as a possible successor. It says no "formal" search process has started.
Sources & Further Reading
- "Jensen Huang discusses comeback as Nvidia CEO with allies." Financial Times. November 15, 2026.
- "Stand with Jensen." Stand with Jensen. November 15, 2026.
- "Bessent calls for 'dramatic shakeup' at Nvidia, urges outside CEO." CNBC. November 15, 2026.
- "Bessent calls for Nvidia leadership shake-up amid China chip scandal, urges outside CEO." Fox Business. November 15, 2026.
This article was drafted with the help of AI. Kris Gunnars fact-checked, edited and published the article and is responsible for its accuracy and quality. How we use AI
