Abstract:
An internal post calling on the board of directors to consider employees’ views on Nvidia’s former CEO has received more than 1,600 comments, the vast majority of which support bringing back Jensen Huang as CEO. According to internal communications, even though Huang Renxun was exposed to multiple extramarital affairs and suddenly resigned, some Nvidia employees still called for his return.
Before Huang Renxun resigned, a senior engineer who had worked at Nvidia for many years published a post in the company's internal "suggestion box" urging the company's board of directors to fully consider the opinions of employees before taking any action. The post has since received more than 1,600 comments, with many asking board members to try to bring Huang back.
An anonymous commenter wrote: "If you believe in the mission of the company, bring back the real boss."
Another employee wrote: "We are all human and make mistakes. Jensen Huang has done so many good things and he deserves a second chance."
An employee even sent an email to all employees asking the company to be transparent about Huang's departure. "I support Jensen Huang," the employee wrote. "Not because I think anyone is infallible, but because I don't believe that standing up for fairness means having to distance yourself from a leader who means so much to us.
Huang, 63, has led Nvidia since its founding in 1993. He wrote in an email to employees on Sunday that he had been "unfaithful to his wife" and said there was "no excuse for that."
Previously, there were reports that he had extramarital affairs. On Thursday morning, the board announced Huang's resignation following reports that Huang was involved in a second extramarital affair with a direct report to him. (The employee has not commented on the matter.) Since then, there have been reports that Huang is also suspected of having an extramarital affair with another Nvidia employee. Huang has not commented on the reports since the emails were posted on Sunday.
Nvidia’s board of directors consists primarily of the company’s early investors and Huang’s long-term confidants. The board of directors appointed Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO and former Synopsys CEO Harvey Jones as chairman of the board.
The crisis has wiped $1 trillion off Nvidia’s market value since the allegations came to light and triggered investigations by U.S. lawmakers and the FBI.
Since this week, daily operations within the company have basically continued as usual, but Huang Renxun's resignation still shocked many employees.
Within a few hours after the news of the resignation was announced, about 20 Nvidia employees posted on LinkedIn to express their support for Huang Renxun. One of them said that his trust in his leadership is unwavering.
An employee who has worked at Nvidia for several years said that he is not authorized to express his opinion publicly, but in his opinion, the sentiment of hoping that Huang Renxun will be reinstated is quite common. The employee worried that the company would ultimately suffer if it lost its founder's leadership and believed the board must bring Huang back.
This employee said: "The reason why NVIDIA became NVIDIA today is precisely because of Huang Renxun."
Many employees had expected the board to complete an internal investigation before making major personnel changes. For example, the previous suggestion box post called on the board of directors to announce the results of the investigation to employees and formally solicit employees' opinions on "whether Huang Renxun will continue to serve as the company's CEO."
However, Huang Renxun left the company just as the investigation was launched. Employees are trying to better understand why.
In the email sent to all employees, the employee wrote:
"If America fails the man who helped build its future, then the world does not deserve Jen-Hsun Huang."
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