More than 115,000 people had signed a petition urging Nvidia to reinstate Jensen Huang by Saturday afternoon, according to the petition website. The appeal challenges the circumstances of the former CEO’s departure and asks the company’s board to investigate and explain its decisions.
Employees, shareholders and tech leaders signed
The petition website listed 5,965 current Nvidia employees, 1,108 former employees and 63,063 shareholders among the signers. It also named prominent technology executives, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Replit CEO Amjad Masad and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.
The signatories say they are “concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process.” They ask the board to “bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts,” while also calling for a fair investigation and more information to be shared with the public.
The petition summarizes its appeal with the line, “Jensen deserves due p rocess, not mob justice.” Its requests center on how Huang’s exit was handled and what the board should do next. The petition does not, in the supplied account, provide a resolution or describe a response from Nvidia’s board.
Huang resigned as Nvidia named an interim CEO
Huang resigned on Thursday, several days after confessing to having an affair with a chip executive identified by U.S. intelligence as a suspected Chinese spy. News reports have also suggested that Huang engaged in multiple extramarital affairs.
Nvidia appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement. That leaves the company under temporary leadership as it considers who will take the role on a lasting basis.
The petition’s appeal comes as the leadership change is drawing attention from Nvidia workers, investors and people across the technology sector. The reported signatory totals indicate that the issue has reached well beyond the company’s current workforce, though the petition figures alone do not establish what the board will decide.
Market and industry effects are also in focus
Nvidia’s stock fell 2% on Friday. The departure is also expected to leave a big gap in AI industry funding, according to the source article.
Those reported effects place the leadership transition in both a company and an industry context. Nvidia is searching for a permanent replacement, while the petition asks its board to examine Huang’s removal and make more information public. The account does not specify how long the search may take or how the company’s funding role might change.
For now, the petition’s central demand is that Huang be reinstated while an independent investigation establishes the facts. Its signers are seeking a fair process and greater public clarity as Nvidia moves forward with an interim CEO.