More than 1.34 lakh people signed a petition asking for Jensen Huang to return as NVIDIA chief executive. Supporters want a fair investigation into his departure after 33 years. Elon Musk backed the campaign, saying, "33 years of leadership do not place anyone above accountability. But accountability requires evidence."
NVIDIA appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim chief executive after Huang's departure. Its board had already commissioned an independent investigation into foreign intelligence concerns.
More than 1.34 lakh people have signed an online petition calling for NVIDIA co-founder Jensen Huang to be reinstated as chief executive, with supporters demanding a fair investigation and a public explanation of his departure after 33 years at the helm of the artificial intelligence chipmaker.
The 'Stand with Jensen' campaign, which had attracted 134,721 signatories at the time of writing, has drawn support from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Replit CEO Amjad Masad and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. Its demands come as NVIDIA has already commissioned an independent investigation into reports that Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort.
Petition demands Huang's reinstatement and answers from NVIDIA board
The campaign's reported signatories include 6,729 current NVIDIA employees, 1,251 former employees, 72,862 shareholders and 53,840 other supporters, according to figures displayed on the petition website.
In an open letter to NVIDIA's board, organisers argue that Huang should be reinstated while the investigation establishes the facts, unless the company can provide clear evidence that his departure serves its interests.
"33 years of leadership do not place anyone above accountability. But accountability requires evidence, a fair hearing, and a reasoned decision," the letter states.
The campaign is seeking Huang's reinstatement pending an independent investigation, a fair hearing and a timely public explanation of the board's decision.
Musk publicly supported the petition on social media. The campaign has also attracted backing from Masad and Sweeney.
NVIDIA had opened an independent investigation before Huang resigned
On November 8, NVIDIA announced that an independent board committee would investigate reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort.
The company said at the time that it had no reason to believe national security or its proprietary information had been compromised. It also expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team.
On November 10, NVIDIA's independent directors announced that they had retained former acting US Attorney Joon H Kim and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.
Huang's departure followed reports about his personal relationships and allegations involving a businesswoman suspected by US authorities of links to Chinese intelligence.
NVIDIA subsequently announced on November 12 that Huang had resigned as president, chief executive and board member, with immediate effect.
The company's regulatory filing states that the board accepted his resignation on November 11. NVIDIA has not established in its public resignation announcement that the investigation had concluded before his exit.
Who is running NVIDIA after Jensen Huang's exit?
NVIDIA appointed chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while its board searches for a permanent successor. Kress will continue to hold her finance responsibilities during the transition.
Harvey C Jones was appointed the company's first chairman of the board.
Huang co-founded NVIDIA in 1993 and led its transformation from a graphics processing unit manufacturer into a major supplier of computing infrastructure used in artificial intelligence.
The company has said it will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent CEO position.
What happens next?
The petition's organisers are demanding that NVIDIA explain the circumstances of Huang's departure and the evidence supporting the leadership decision.
NVIDIA's independent investigation and its search for a permanent chief executive remain the principal processes to watch.
The chipmaker is also scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on November 17, followed by an earnings call.
The 'Stand with Jensen' petition describes itself as an independent campaign unaffiliated with NVIDIA or Huang.