Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO, but a Billionaire says hiring him would be 'an honor'-here's who made the surprising offer

Jensen Huang's departure from Nvidia has sent shockwaves through the technology industry, and Elon Musk has already weighed in on what could come next for the chipmaker's former chief. Elon Musk said it would be an “honor” to hire Huang after a social media post called on him to bring the Nvidia co-founder aboard. The comments came just before Nvidia announced a major leadership change following a week of intense scrutiny surrounding Huang. According to Reuters, Jensen Huang has stepped down as CEO and will also leave the company's board.

Why did Elon Musk offer to hire Jensen Huang?

The exchange began when financial blog Zerohedge posted on X, “Elon please hire Jensen.”


Musk responded with a brief message: “That would be an honor.”

His reaction came as reports about Huang's future at Nvidia were gaining attention. The Wall Street Journal had reported that the company's board was preparing to discuss his position. The latest developments followed reports about Huang's personal relationships, which have put the company under growing pressure.

Huang had already acknowledged an affair with Alice Huang, a business executive whom US intelligence officials identified as having been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security. China has denied the espionage claims.

A separate report by The New York Times alleged that Huang also had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, an Nvidia executive who reports to him.

Nvidia faces a major leadership change

Reuters reported on Thursday that Huang had stepped down as CEO, ending his time at the company he co-founded in 1993. He will also leave Nvidia's board.

Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will take over as interim CEO while the company considers internal and external candidates for a permanent successor. Former Synopsys CEO and Nvidia board member Harvey Jones has been named the company's first board chair.

Huang owns about 3.61% of Nvidia, making him its fourth-largest shareholder. The announcement hit the stock hard. Nvidia shares fell more than 12% in early trading, putting around $500 billion in market value at risk. AMD and Broadcom shares moved in the opposite direction, gaining 2% and 5%, respectively.

Kress acknowledged the difficult period in an employee memo and announced a company meeting for November 18 at 9 a.m. PT.


Meanwhile, calls for Huang to resign had also come from US lawmakers. Senator Kevin Cramer told CNBC, “As a matter of his own conscience, he should resign.”