Why Elon Musk wants affair marred Jensen Huang back at Nvidia? Is AI industry not ready for a post-Huang era

Elon Musk has thrown his weight behind a campaign seeking the return of Jensen Huang as Nvidia chief executive, even as the chipmaker faces a leadership crisis following reports of the former CEO's alleged extramarital affairs.

Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX, said he would sign a petition calling for Huang's reinstatement as Nvidia's board considers potential successors.

The campaign comes just days after Huang abruptly stepped down from the company he co-founded 33 years ago.

Quick answers to key questions

•5 QUESTIONS

Why is Elon Musk backing Jensen Huang's return as Nvidia CEO?⌵

Musk said on X that he would sign a petition calling for Huang's reinstatement. The campaign asks Nvidia's board to bring Huang back while an independent investigation establishes the facts surrounding his departure.

Why did Jensen Huang leave Nvidia?⌵

His departure followed reports alleging extramarital relationships, including one involving a woman suspected of links to Chinese intelligence. The allegations and their connection to his resignation have not been established through an independent investigation.

Who could replace Jensen Huang as Nvidia CEO?⌵

Arm CEO Rene Haas has been reported as one possible successor. Nvidia's board has said speculation about individual candidates is premature and that it is selecting an executive search firm.

Why could Jensen Huang be difficult to replace in the AI industry?⌵

Under Huang, Nvidia became a key supplier of AI chips and software, as well as a financial backer of companies building AI infrastructure. Replacing that broader strategic and financial role could be difficult, according to analysts cited in reports.

What challenges will Nvidia's next CEO face?⌵

The next CEO will need to sustain Nvidia's position in AI computing while navigating competition and scrutiny over advanced chip exports to China. Huang's leadership also extended to strategic investments and relationships across the technology industry.

The leadership change has also raised questions about whether the artificial intelligence industry is prepared for a future without Huang, whose leadership helped turn Nvidia into one of the most influential companies in the global AI ecosystem.

Arm Holdings CEO Rene Haas has reportedly emerged as one of the potential candidates to succeed him.

However, Nvidia's board has said that discussions about individual candidates are premature.

Why is Elon Musk backing Jensen Huang's return?

In a post on X, Musk said a petition was being circulated to bring Huang back to Nvidia and that he intended to sign it.

"A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I'm signing it too," Musk wrote.

The campaign, hosted on a volunteer-run website called Stand with Jensen, has called on Nvidia's board to reinstate Huang while an independent investigation establishes the facts surrounding his departure.

According to Wired, more than 43,000 people had signed the open letter. The website's counter listed 2,980 current Nvidia employees, 454 former employees and 24,097 shareholders among the signatories, with the remaining supporters identifying themselves separately.

These affiliations are self-reported and have not been independently verified.

The campaign also says it is not endorsed by Nvidia or Huang.

The support is not limited to people outside the company. Wired, citing internal correspondence, reported that some Nvidia employees had called for their views to be heard before the board makes a final decision.

A message posted by a long-time Nvidia engineer reportedly attracted more than 1,600 comments, with several employees discussing ways to bring Huang back.

Nvidia, which employs around 42,000 people worldwide, has not commented on the reported employee campaign or Musk's statement.

Why did Jensen Huang leave Nvidia?

Huang's sudden departure followed reports alleging extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence.

Huang, who has been married to his wife Lori for more than four decades, reportedly acknowledged an affair on Sunday. Reports identified the woman as Alice Huang, a former senior executive at Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed.

The circumstances surrounding his departure have put Nvidia's leadership transition under scrutiny, particularly given the company's central role in the global AI industry.

However, the allegations and their connection to his resignation remain matters of reporting and have not been established through an independent investigation.

Who could succeed Huang at Nvidia?

Arm Holdings CEO Rene Haas is reportedly among the names being considered to take over the leadership of Nvidia.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that Nvidia's board had approached Haas as part of its succession discussions. He is understood to be among several possible candidates, and there is no certainty that he will be offered the position or accept it.

The board has sought to play down speculation.

It said it was still in the process of selecting an executive search firm to help identify the next chief executive and had not formally approached any candidates.

"Any speculation regarding individual candidates, whether internal or external, is premature," the board said in a statement.

Why the AI industry may find it difficult to move on from Huang

Huang's departure raises a larger question about Nvidia's influence over the AI industry: can the ecosystem maintain its momentum without the leadership and financial backing that he provided?

Under Huang, Nvidia became much more than a supplier of advanced graphics processing units (GPUs).

Its chips and software have become central to the development and deployment of artificial intelligence, making the company a key part of the global technology supply chain.

His influence has also extended to financing the wider AI ecosystem. Nvidia has committed billions of dollars to startups, AI companies, data centre operators and emerging cloud infrastructure providers.

These investments have helped companies expand their computing capacity and build the infrastructure needed to develop increasingly powerful AI models.

This has made Nvidia an important financial backer of the industry, in addition to being its leading hardware supplier.

Analysts cited in reports have argued that other technology companies may eventually find alternatives to Nvidia's chips, but replacing its wider financial and strategic role could prove more difficult.