Huang return petition counts Musk among 115,000-plus signers, TechCrunch reports
Elon Musk is among the signers, TechCrunch reported; the petition's count and signer categories have not been independently verified.
By Saturday afternoon, a petition calling for Jensen Huang’s return as Nvidia CEO had surpassed 115,000 signatures, including Elon Musk’s, TechCrunch reported. The petition website’s count and signer categories have not been independently verified.
Huang resigned as Nvidia’s chief executive on Thursday. U.S. officials believed the woman with whom he had an affair was a Chinese spy.
TechCrunch reported that Huang confessed to the affair with a chip executive U.S. intelligence suspected of spying for China four days before resigning, and that he has agreed to testify before Congress. The New York Times reported that he also had an affair with an employee.
ATLABYTE reported that China called the espionage allegations slander after Huang stepped down. Inquisitr could not independently verify the report.
Nvidia controls an estimated 90% of the market for advanced chips that power major AI projects. TechCrunch reported that its stock fell sharply during the week and that his exit is expected to create a major funding shortfall for the AI industry.
“Jensen drove supply chain brilliantly at Nvidia, but many of those deals were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract,” Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, wrote on X on Saturday.
“Without Jensen, at least some of those critical deals will be lost,” he wrote.
Jensen drove supply chain brilliantly at Nvidia, but many of those deals were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2026
Without Jensen, at least some of those critical deals will be lost.
The open letter, “Stand With Jensen,” says its signers are “concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process.” It urges the board to “bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts,” ensure the inquiry is fair and give the public more information.
“Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice,” the petition says.
The petition website counts 5,965 current Nvidia employees and 1,108 former employees among those who signed.
It lists 63,063 shareholders as well. The Times put the Saturday morning total just shy of 100,000.
Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan also signed.
Shareholders write to the board
Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital Management, and Gavin Baker, chief investment officer of Atreides Management, sent the board a separate appeal Friday. “We believe the board should avoid a rush to replace Jensen that undermines and thwarts the best interests of shareholders,” they wrote.
Their firms are Nvidia shareholders, and Gerstner and Baker urged the board to keep “all options on the table, including the potential return of Jensen Huang.” Gerstner wrote on X that the letter sets out what they see as the least the board owes shareholders.
This letter was sent to the Nvidia Board today which we believe outlines the minimum acceptable standards the Board owes shareholders as it manages this difficult situation. Onward. 🫡
— Brad Gerstner (@altcap) November 13, 2026
In posts online and correspondence with Nvidia directors, Huang’s billionaire peers portrayed him as irreplaceable, the Times reported. Supporters also argued his departure would put the United States behind in the artificial intelligence race and faulted the board for yielding to pressure.
It was not known whether Nvidia’s directors would answer the petition or consider bringing Huang back.
Nvidia has appointed Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while it seeks a permanent replacement.
