Major stakeholders in Nvidia are urging the company’s board of directors to keep the door open for founder Jensen Huang following his sudden resignation. In a public letter shared on X, Altimeter Capital CEO Brad Gerstner and Atreides Management’s Gavin Baker called for a deliberate and measured approach to selecting permanent leadership. While they acknowledged that interim CEO Colette Kress is capably leading the firm, the investors argued that Huang deserves a thoughtful process rather than a rushed replacement.
The turmoil comes after Huang stepped down amidst serious allegations involving several affairs, including one with Alice Huang, a suspected Chinese spy linked to Megaspeed. This connection has sparked a wider federal probe, as the Justice Department investigates whether the Singaporean firm redirected restricted AI chips back into China. The situation has evolved into a national security concern, prompting calls for U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to testify before Congress regarding how effectively the government is blocking high tech exports to Beijing.
Support for Huang remains strong among certain circles of power and industry peers. Elon Musk joined the fray by signing a petition titled Stand with Jensen, which has already garnered over 100,000 signatures including thousands of Nvidia employees. Musk warned that losing Huang’s vision could result in critical business deals falling through, highlighting the deep tie between the founder’s personal brand and the company’s market dominance.
As these legal and corporate battles unfold, political tensions remain high ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to China. Despite the gravity of the spying allegations and their impact on one of America’s most valuable companies, officials indicate that Trump does not intend to bring up the Nvidia scandal during his meetings with President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen later this month.
