Elon Musk backs petition urging Nvidia to bring its longtime CEO Jensen Huang back

Jensen Huang’s departure from Nvidia has sparked an unexpected show of support from employees, political figures and technology executives. Elon Musk has joined the campaign to restore Huang to the company’s top position, revealing Friday that he will be signing a petition supporting his return. The former CEO resigned after admitting to an affair with a woman alleged to have connections to Chinese intelligence.

Support for the former Nvidia chief has also emerged from within the chipmaker. Internal employee feedback reportedly shows considerable opposition to losing the executive who helped build Nvidia into one of the world’s most influential technology companies.

Musk rallies behind Huang

Musk announced his endorsement in a post on X, adding his name to the growing list of prominent figures backing Huang. The Tesla and SpaceX chief had previously defended the executive and expressed interest in bringing him aboard his own companies. He described the prospect of working with Huang as an honor.

A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I’m signing it too

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2026

An internal post asking Nvidia’s board to consider employee sentiment has attracted more than 1,600 comments, according to WIRED. A longtime engineer submitted the suggestion before Huang’s resignation. Most responses reportedly favored bringing him back.

One anonymous employee called for Huang’s reinstatement, arguing that the company needed its longtime leader. Another suggested that the executive deserved a second chance. An employee also sent a companywide email expressing continued support for Huang.

The internal response has coincided with several public campaigns. A Change.org petition titled “Bring Jensen Huang back as Nvidia CEO” appeared on November 12. Its creator, Mohamed Adany, identifies himself as an Nvidia shareholder. The campaign had collected 170 verified signatures by Friday evening.

A separate letter circulating on social media allegedly represents hundreds of Nvidia employees demanding Huang’s return. It reportedly threatens employee departures to join a SpaceX chip project. However, the document’s authenticity remains unverified.

Its wording also closely resembles a 2023 employee letter supporting Sam Altman during his removal from OpenAI. That similarity raises questions about the document’s origins.

Trump weighs in on Huang’s exit

President Donald Trump has also defended Huang, praising his leadership during an interview with sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith. He credited the executive with Nvidia’s extraordinary success and described him as an exceptionally talented business leader.

Trump also revealed that he spoke with Huang on Wednesday, shortly before the resignation. According to the president, their conversation focused heavily on the personal consequences of the controversy. Huang reportedly expressed regret about the damage the situation had caused his wife and family.

When Smith asked whether Huang should have resigned, Trump pointed to the unresolved allegations involving Alice Huang. He said the key question was whether she actually worked as a Chinese spy.

Trump suggested that Huang’s departure made sense if investigators established those allegations as true. However, he indicated that the circumstances could warrant a different assessment if she had no intelligence connections.

Despite the controversy, Trump expressed confidence that Huang would recover professionally. He also maintained a favorable personal impression of the former Nvidia chief.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/culture/elon-musk-backs-jensen-huang-nvidia-petition