TLDR
- Elon Musk said on Friday that he is signing a petition to reinstate Jensen Huang.
- An internal Nvidia appeal for Huang’s return drew more than 1,600 comments.
- A public petition says Huang was removed without meaningful due process.
- Colette Kress is interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent leader.
- Nvidia shares fell 2.01% on Friday to close at $162.85.
Nvidia employees have started a push to bring back Jensen Huang, a day after the chipmaker said he had resigned. Elon Musk added his voice on Friday. The board is still searching for a permanent chief executive.
Musk wrote on X that a petition is underway to reinstate Huang and that he is signing it too. It is not clear which petition he meant. Musk posted the message Friday evening.
A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I’m signing it too
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2026
What Employees Are Asking For
An internal appeal at Nvidia drew more than 1,600 comments. Most of them reportedly supported Huang’s return, according to Wired. The discussion began before his resignation and continued after the board’s announcement.
Some workers asked why an investigation had not finished before the board acted. Others urged directors to weigh staff views before changing leaders. Employees used an internal suggestion system to share those views.
A public petition on standwithjensen.com has thousands of signers. It says they are concerned that Huang was removed without meaningful due process.
The names of Musk and other prominent tech executives are listed on the site. Musk has more than 240 million followers on X.
Musk was replying to Yun-Ta Tsai, a former Nvidia engineer. Tsai urged skilled GPU engineers to use their influence to press for a leadership change.
Tsai argued that experienced GPU engineers are hard to replace. He credited Huang’s strategy for the company’s growth.
How the Leadership Change Happened
Nvidia announced on November 12 that its board accepted Huang’s resignation as president, CEO and director. He had led the company for 33 years. Under his leadership, Nvidia grew from a graphics chip maker into a central player in the AI boom.
The exit followed Huang’s admission of an affair with a woman some intelligence officials suspect of being a Chinese spy. Reports also claimed a relationship with a second employee.
China has denied that its intelligence services targeted Huang. Nvidia said it has no reason to believe company secrets or US national security were compromised.
Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is now interim CEO and keeps her finance duties. Harvey Jones serves as board chairman.
Jones said the company expects operations, customer commitments and its product roadmap to continue without disruption. Directors are weighing internal and outside candidates.
Nvidia has not announced any plan to reinstate Huang. Musk has said founders are hard to replace.
When an X user suggested Musk hire Huang, he replied that it would be an honor. President Donald Trump has also voiced support for Huang. Both men attended a White House meeting with tech executives in September.
Separately, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on December 10. The hearing will cover Nvidia chip exports to China.
Traders on Polymarket give Huang a 31% chance of rejoining Nvidia by the end of 2027. Nvidia shares fell 2.01% on Friday to close at $162.85.
