115,000 Signatures Demand Nvidia Reinstate Ousted CEO Jensen Huang

A petition demanding that Nvidia reinstate ousted CEO Jensen Huang has passed 115,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon, including 5,965 current Nvidia employees and 63,063 shareholders.

The signature count is the sharpest measure yet of internal and investor resistance to Huang's removal. The petition website reports 1,108 former employees among the signers as well. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has signed. So have Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan.

What does the petition actually demand?

The petition states that its signers are "concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process." It demands that the board "bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts." It also calls on the board to ensure a fair investigation and provide more information to the public.

The document's language is blunt. "Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice," the petition says.

The demand puts the board in a difficult position. Reinstating Huang before any investigation concludes would reverse a decision made within days of the disclosures. Refusing risks deepening the rift with employees and shareholders who signed.

Why did Huang resign?

Huang resigned on Thursday. His exit came four days after he confessed to an affair with a chip executive whom U.S. intelligence suspects of being a Chinese spy.

The former CEO has agreed to testify before Congress. News reports have also suggested Huang engaged in multiple extramarital affairs, extending the controversy beyond a single relationship.

The timeline was compressed. Four days separated the confession from the resignation. That speed is precisely what petition signers cite as evidence of insufficient due process.

Who is running Nvidia now?

Nvidia appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement. Kress inherits a company in the middle of a stock slide.

Nvidia's stock price fell sharply through the week of Huang's departure. The petition's shareholder bloc of more than 63,000 represents a constituency watching that decline closely.

The leadership vacuum extends beyond the company's own operations. Huang's departure is expected to leave a big gap in AI industry funding, according to the source report. Huang had become a central figure in the AI investment ecosystem, and his absence removes a key decision-maker from that flow of capital.

What happens next?

Three processes now run in parallel. Nvidia's board must conduct its permanent CEO search. Huang must prepare his congressional testimony. And the petition's demand for an independent investigation, with Huang reinstated during its course, awaits a board response.

The 115,000-signature count gives the petition public weight. The 5,965 employee signatures give it internal weight. The board's next move, on both the investigation and the permanent CEO appointment, will determine whether Nvidia's workforce and shareholder base accept the outcome or the pressure continues to build.