Nvidia employees, investors and Elon Musk call for Jensen Huang to return as CEO

Jensen Huang’s departure from the leadership of Nvidia on November 12 triggered a campaign for the company’s co-founder to return as chief executive officer. More than 115,000 people have signed a public petition, while employees, major investors, and leaders in the technology industry are urging the board of directors not to rush the selection of a successor.

Among the initiative’s supporters are Elon Musk, Tim Sweeney, founder of Epic Games, and Garry Tan, president of Y Combinator.

An internal petition has gathered more than 1,600 comments, most of them favorable to Huang, while nearly 6,000 signatories of the public campaign said they work at Nvidia. The data have not been independently verified.

The pressure is also coming from investors Brad Gerstner, a representative of Altimeter Capital, and Gavin Baker, of Atreides Management, whose firms jointly held approximately 10.6 million Nvidia shares. They called for the selection process not to be rushed and for Huang’s return to remain an option.

The resignation came after revelations concerning extramarital relationships and unconfirmed allegations about possible ties between one of the people involved and Chinese intelligence services. Nvidia appointed Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer and is seeking a permanent successor, including from outside the company.