‘Broken and shattered’ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang surrendered during resignation meeting, report claims

Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has reportedly called himself “a piece of sh**" as he left the company he built over 33 years. Bloomberg reports that the co-founder, known for his legendary energy and outgoing demeanor, surrendered and looked “broken and shattered” during the board meeting where he resigned from the AI hardware firm after admitting to at least one extra-marital affair, including one with a suspected Chinese spy. But despite his resignation and the controversies surrounding him, it seems that Nvidia employees are still rallying behind him, with thousands of comments on the company’s internal “suggestion box” showing support for the disgraced leader, according to Wired.

“If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss,” one commenter said, while another one wrote, “We are all humans and can make mistakes. Jensen did so many good things and he needs a second chance.” An Nvidia staffer told Wired privately, “Nvidia is Nvidia because of Jensen,” even as another employee sent a company-wide email demanding transparency into his resignation. “I stand by Jensen. Not because I believe any person is infallible, but because I refuse to believe that standing for fairness must mean standing at a distance from someone whose leadership has meant so much to us.” They also added, “If America fails the man who helped build its future, then this world does not deserve Jensen Huang.”

According to the report, internal calls for Huang's reinstatement have drawn more than 1,600 comments on Nvidia's internal forums, "the majority in full support of reinstalling him." The company has more than 42,000 employees worldwide.

Rumors about Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese spy, being close to Jensen Huang first circulated in late October, with Nvidia vehemently denying there was any impropriety. “Megaspeed has been no different than many other regional cloud customers. Jensen’s interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected. Meetings with customers are part of a CEO's job; Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year,” an Nvidia spokesperson told Tom's Hardware. However, things took a turn for the worse for the Nvidia CEO when reports came out that he actually had an affair with Ms. Huang.

Nvidia General Counsel and Secretary of the Board Tim Teter confronted Jensen at his house when this came out, after which he confessed. The founder soon released a statement admitting to and apologizing for his actions, while the company’s board formed an independent committee to investigate. However, another scandal broke out revealing that the former Nvidia chief had another affair — this time with a subordinate. This was apparently the last straw for the board, and the Nvidia co-founder was forced to resign soon after.

Reports say that Jensen Huang was a hands-on leader, with over 60 executives at the company reporting directly to him, and that he was known to respond to emails quickly, whether it was day or night. But, more importantly, he was the face of the company who was particularly loved by many people, giving rise to the term “Jensanity” in his home country of Taiwan. Regardless of his status as a billionaire, people still find him trying out street food, eating at fast food chains, and even honoring his humble beginnings as a busboy at Denny’s.

Aside from these latest scandals, many gamers castigate Huang for abandoning the core market that supported Nvidia before it became an AI giant, with consumer graphics cards now drastically more expensive than ever before. He was also often criticized for his all-out push on artificial intelligence and stance on selling chips to China. Still, those issues did not detract from his aura, with his trademark leather jacket raising nearly $1 million at a charity auction. It remains to be seen what will happen to Jensen after his monumental fall from grace, with SpaceX and Tesla mogul Elon Musk noting it would be an honor to hire Huang.

Download the Tom's Hardware app for up-to-the-minute updates on iOS and Android. Also follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.