Petition urges Nvidia to restore Jensen Huang during independent probe

By Sophie Lindqvist

Nvidia’s board accepted Jensen Huang’s resignation as chief executive and director on Nov. 11 and named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO. The company’s Form 8-K gave no reason for the departure and described no disagreement with the board.

An online campaign then demanded Huang’s return during an ongoing investigation, and its counter showed 118,895 signatures by 5:48 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 14.

What does the petition seek?

The Stand with Jensen open letter asks the board to “bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts,” TechCrunch reported on Nov. 14. It also requests a fair investigation and more public information. The campaign describes Huang’s removal as lacking meaningful due process.

In a section the site labels as an unverified campaign position, it says no evidence substantiating the espionage allegation has been shown to its organizers. The campaign adds: “Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice.” That position does not establish the underlying allegations, and the campaign does not identify its organizers.

It calls itself an independent, volunteer effort, not affiliated with or endorsed by Nvidia or Huang.

How strong is the 118,895-signature count?

By 5:48 p.m. ET on Nov. 14, the campaign’s own counter showed 118,895 signatures; TechCrunch reported more than 115,000 earlier that afternoon, and Business Insider reported about 97,000 that morning. MLQ.ai said it had verified neither the counter’s total nor the identities or stated affiliations of people on its public signer list.

Affiliations remain self-reported, the campaign says, and its displayed total includes only approved signatures. The site breaks the count into four self-described groups:

• 64,866 people described themselves as shareholders
• 6,094 as current Nvidia employees
• 1,140 as former employees
• 46,795 as other supporters

The public list includes Musk, Sweeney and Masad, each listed as a shareholder. Elon Musk leads Tesla and SpaceX; Tim Sweeney leads Epic Games; Amjad Masad leads Replit. Musk said on X on Friday that he had signed, CNBC reported. No independent verification supports those affiliation claims.

Who is pressing Nvidia’s board?

Atreides Management’s Gavin Baker and Altimeter’s Brad Gerstner wrote a separate Nov. 13 letter asking Nvidia’s board to preserve Huang’s potential return among its options, according to the petition’s public materials. Baker also appears on the petition’s public signer list.

Musk said on X on Saturday that some critical deals will be lost without Huang, CNBC reported. The report gives no deal value, customer name or supporting contract evidence for that warning. Treat this as an unverified forecast, not an established revenue loss.

Nvidia’s board has not publicly responded to the petition or the investor letter. Neither Huang nor Nvidia has commented on the petition.

What led to Huang’s departure?

CNBC, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that the board had decided to oust Huang. Reuters reported that pressure mounted after reports of Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive of Nvidia customer Megaspeed whom U.S. authorities investigated on suspicion of spying for China. Beijing denies she is a spy, and she has not been charged.

Huang acknowledged on Nov. 8, in a message to staff, that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He denied compromising national security or Nvidia secrets, CNBC reported. Reuters reported on Nov. 13 that Huang had misled Nvidia’s general counsel about the relationship. Nvidia and a Huang representative declined comment.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Nov. 12 that the Justice Department had reached no conclusions about whether Alice Huang was or was not a spy, despite Beijing’s denial and the absence of charges.

Can the board reverse the decision?

A return requires action by Nvidia’s board, which accepted the resignation on Nov. 11. The independent directors’ investigation continues under Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and former acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim.

MLQ.ai’s explainer on what a return would require centers on the board’s powers, while the investigation has no published timetable or promised decision date for investors. The petition cannot appoint a chief executive; only the board can change the disclosed arrangement. Without a response or timetable, the campaign adds pressure but no disclosed change to Kress’s interim role.

What comes next?

Nvidia reports fiscal third-quarter results on Tuesday, Nov. 17, its first under Kress. The company schedules a staff meeting for Nov. 18. Those events will put Kress’s leadership and investor confidence in focus.

Musk’s deal warning raises the commercial question, but no lost contract appears in the cited reporting. The next disclosures will show whether governance uncertainty changes customer commitments and Nvidia’s competitive position, rather than merely adding signatures to the petition.