It's 'game over' for Jensen Huang, king of AI chips

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, November 13: We look at reactions to the resignation of Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia. It comes in the wake of multiple affairs he allegedly had, including with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. What are the repercussions for the AI industry and for AI trade relations? Also: France's Les Bleus lose to Italy in the Nations League, marking Zinédine Zidane's first defeat as coach. Plus: a raccoon that went viral for getting drunk last year ends up raising a lot of money for an animal shelter!

Jensen Huang's resignation as CEO of Nvidia is dominating the press. The Swiss paper Le Temps calls it the "downfall of the king of chips". It adds that the case shows how the behaviour of tech moguls can impact entire corporate structures. Huang confessed to multiple affairs, including with a woman whom US authorities suspect of being a Chinese spy. The Times of London reports that he allegedly had a third affair and that the fallout may impact US President Donald Trump. Democrats are now planning a congressional investigation into how much Trump knew about the affairs. Huang's downfall is also a blow to his own reputation. The Times says: "He defied Silicon Valley tech mogul stereotypes as an apparently devoted father and husband married for 40 years. Now, his followers are struggling to come to terms with revelations that have tarnished the image of the man they revered."

Elsewhere, Italian daily Il Manifesto says it is "Game Over" for Huang. Both French paper Le Figaro and the British daily Financial Times focus on what his resignation means for the world of artificial intelligence. Le Figaro evokes "an earthquake for the world of AI, and particularly Nvidia's coveted, advanced AI chips". The Financial Times reports that shares plunged as uncertainty over who will succeed Huang grows. Nvidia's CFO Colette Kress will take over for now. As French business daily La Tribune notes, the post-Jensen era of Nvidia has already begun.

In the editorial pages, The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the silver linings that have come out of this crisis. It could harden Congress's resolve to close loopholes in export controls and perhaps "educate Americans about the serious threat of Chinese corporate espionage." The Chinese government outlet Global Times editors', however, object to the speculation that any ties to China automatically mean a national security threat. They write: "The more accomplished and influential a person is, and the more centrally positioned they are between China and the US, the more vulnerable they may become to being singled out in the name of 'national security.'"

Turning to football news, Zinédine Zidane suffered his first defeat as coach of Les Bleus against Italy on Thursday. Les Bleus played Italy in Milan in the Nations League and amid the rain, they lost 3-1. L'Equipe, the French sports paper, laments Zidane's first defeat as coach. But it's joy and jubilation for Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian sports daily, which celebrates a "golden Italy."

Finally, there is a bit of good news about last year's viral drunk raccoon. The Independent reminds us about the raccoon that raided a Virginia liquor store last year, drank 14 bottles of booze and then passed out beside a toilet, its photo swiftly going viral in the process. Now, a local animal shelter has cashed in by merchandising "Trashed Panda" shirts, mugs and hats in honour of the raccoon. It reports that sales have brought in nearly $300,000 for the shelter, far exceeding the shelter's annual $20,000 in donations.

You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.