Jensen Huang considers Nvidia comeback as Silicon Valley allies rally in support - report

Silicon Valley leaders, including Elon Musk, are backing Jensen Huang's return to Nvidia despite a board investigation and opposition in Washington.

Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is considering a return to the company as allies in Silicon Valley pressure its board to reinstate him, days after he resigned following reports of affairs with a suspected Chinese spy and a subordinate, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Huang has discussed the possibility of returning with confidants, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, even as an independent investigation by Nvidia's board examines the conduct that triggered a leadership crisis at the $4 trillion chipmaker.

One Huang ally told the FT that they were assembling a “war room” of Silicon Valley executives to lobby for his reinstatement and would seek support from the White House.

“Everyone that matters in tech outside the frontier labs loves Jensen,” the ally said, adding that Huang supported the efforts.

A public campaign to reinstate Huang gained momentum over the weekend. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney were among the executives supporting an open letter calling on Nvidia's board to “Bring Jensen Back.”

Silicon Valley rallies behind Jensen Huang

Huang continues to command strong loyalty among some employees, several of whom have publicly called for his return and signed the open letter in the days since his resignation.

The campaign is likely to face opposition from key policymakers in Washington. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on Sunday for a “dramatic shake-up” in Nvidia's leadership following Huang's departure.

Unlike some other founder-CEOs, Huang does not hold a controlling stake in Nvidia and therefore cannot override the board's decisions. He also faces a board and management team now led by interim CEO Colette Kress, who is seeking to stabilize the company ahead of its quarterly earnings report on Tuesday.

Huang's reported affair with Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, has prompted increased scrutiny of Nvidia's compliance measures in selling its artificial intelligence chips to customers in Asia with potential links to China.

Even Huang's allies remain uncertain about how to restore his reputation.

“Having an affair with a subordinate is a fireable offense,” acknowledged one person involved in efforts to reinstate him.

Nvidia board weighs leadership options amid scrutiny

The FT reported on Friday that Arm CEO Rene Haas had been approached by Nvidia's board as a potential successor. The board said that no “formal” process had been initiated. Several Israeli technology executives have also been named in reports as potential candidates to lead Nvidia.

Altimeter Capital founder Brad Gerstner and Atreides Management CEO Gavin Baker, both Nvidia shareholders, published an open letter to the board on Friday urging directors to keep “all options on the table, including the potential return of Jensen Huang”.

The two investors cited “the extraordinary success of Jensen Huang’s leadership over a long period of time and given the massive uncertainty associated with recent events surrounding his departure” as reasons for clemency.

Spokespeople for Nvidia and Huang declined to comment when approached by the FT.