Petition Demanding Nvidia Reinstate Ousted CEO Huang Passes 115,000 Signatures

A petition demanding that Nvidia reinstate ousted CEO Jensen Huang crossed 115,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon. The petition's own tally lists 5,965 current Nvidia employees, 1,108 former employees and 63,063 shareholders among the signers, along with prominent technology executives including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Who is backing the reinstatement demand?

The signers span the company's workforce, its shareholder base and the wider technology sector. Named supporters include Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, alongside Musk. The petition argues the board acted without adequate process. It states that signers are "concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process." The petition's most quoted line is blunt: "Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice."

The document makes three demands of the Nvidia board:

• Bring Huang back while an independent investigation establishes the facts
• Ensure the investigation is fair
• Provide more information to the public

Why did Huang leave the company?

Huang resigned on Thursday, four days after he confessed to an affair with a chip executive suspected by U.S. intelligence of being a Chinese spy. News reports have since suggested the relationship was not an isolated case and that Huang engaged in multiple extramarital affairs. The former CEO has agreed to testify before Congress, a step that will keep the matter in public view.

The timeline was compressed. Four days separated the confession from the resignation. That speed is central to the petitioners' argument that the board did not conduct a meaningful process before removing a founder who has led Nvidia through its rise to dominance in AI accelerators.

What happens to Nvidia now?

Nvidia appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement. Kress inherits a company under visible strain. Nvidia's stock price fell sharply through the week of Huang's departure, and the episode is expected to leave a significant gap in AI industry funding, given Huang's central role in directing capital and partnerships across the sector.

The shareholder contingent of 63,063 signatures gives the petition financial weight, not only moral support. The board faces simultaneous pressure from employees inside the company, a public campaign backed by major technology figures, and a market reaction reflected in the week's share price decline.

What are the open questions?

The petition's demand for an independent investigation sets a test for the board: reinstate Huang while the facts are established, or defend the removal as justified. Huang's congressional testimony will add a further layer of scrutiny, with U.S. intelligence suspicions about the chip executive already in the public record. No date for that testimony has been announced. The search for a permanent CEO also has no stated timeline, leaving Kress to manage operations, investor confidence and the funding void Huang's exit is expected to create across the AI industry.