Can Nvidia CEO’s mistakes be forgiven?:Why do 1,600 employees and tech leaders want Jensen Huang back despite controversy

More than 1,600 comments from Nvidia employees are calling for the return of co-founder Jensen Huang following his resignation as CEO after 33 years at the company.
While the chipmaker faces scrutiny over allegations involving his personal relationships, a section of its workforce believes his contribution to Nvidia deserves recognition. The support is not limited to Nvidia employees. Elon Musk has said it would be an honour to hire Huang, while prominent technology leaders, including Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, have also expressed support for him. Several industry figures have questioned whether Nvidia made the right decision, with some describing his departure as a major loss for the technology industry. But what makes Huang such an important figure in the tech world? And why are employees and business leaders reluctant to see him leave the company he helped build? Why are Nvidia employees asking for Huang’s return? According to a report by WIRED, an internal post submitted by a long-serving Nvidia engineer to the company’s suggestion box has attracted more than 1,600 comments. The original post asked the board to consider employees’ views before making a decision about Huang’s future. Several employees have since called for his reinstatement. One anonymous staff member wrote: If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss. Another employee said: We are all humans and can make mistakes. Jensen did so many good things, and he needs a second chance. An employee also reportedly sent a company-wide email demanding greater transparency about the circumstances surrounding Huang’s departure. The employee further questioned whether fairness required staff to distance themselves from a leader whose contribution to Nvidia had been significant. The frustration appears to stem partly from the timing of Huang’s exit. Some employees had expected the board to complete its internal inquiry and share its findings before making a final decision. Instead, Huang resigned on November 12, leaving many staff members surprised. Around two dozen Nvidia employees also reportedly shared messages supporting him on LinkedIn. How did Jensen Huang transform Nvidia? Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem. The company initially focused on graphics chips for computer gaming and multimedia. Over the next three decades, however, it expanded far beyond gaming and became a central player in artificial intelligence and accelerated computing. One of Huang’s biggest contributions was backing the development of the graphics processing unit (GPU). Nvidia introduced the GPU in 1999, changing how computers handled graphics and complex computing tasks. His next major bet came in 2006, when Nvidia introduced CUDA, a software platform that allowed developers to use GPUs for general-purpose computing rather than limiting them to graphics processing. This decision proved important years later. Researchers began using GPUs to train artificial intelligence systems, including the AlexNet neural network, which helped demonstrate the potential of deep learning in 2012. Also read: ‘I’m a piece of sh**,’ Jensen Huang describes himself: Inside his fall from power and the final days as Nvidia CEO

Elon Musk, Tim Sweeney and other tech leaders react to Huang’s exit Musk was among the most prominent figures to express interest in Huang’s future. Responding to an X user who suggested that he hire the Nvidia co-founder, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO wrote, “That would be an honour.” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was among the strongest critics of the decision. He described Huang’s exit as:
Sweeney credited Huang with building a company that continued innovating even after reaching massive scale. He also recalled how Huang had helped him during a 2015 Game Developers Conference presentation by delivering a graphics card. Anduril founder Palmer Luckey had expressed interest in hiring Huang even before Nvidia announced his resignation. He wrote, “China wants Jensen out, so I want him in.” Perplexity co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas thanked Huang for what he described as “33 years of bold leadership.” Hugging Face co-founder and CEO Clément Delangue also expressed disappointment over the developments. Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao was equally critical of the decision, writing, “It’s a mistake for Nvidia to let Jensen resign.” The reactions show that support for Huang extends across technology companies, AI startups, investment firms and the wider business community. While some have criticised the circumstances surrounding his exit, others have focused on the difficulty of replacing a founder who has guided a company through several major technology shifts. Also read: Microsoft system failure causes 3 flight cancellations in Delhi: Email and meeting services down for 15 hours; Australian intelligence and police affected

What happens to Nvidia after Huang’s exit? Nvidia’s board announced Huang’s resignation on November 12, 2026, and appointed chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent successor. Former Synopsys CEO Harvey Jones was appointed the company’s first-ever board chair. The company now faces the challenge of maintaining its growth and innovation in the AI industry without its co-founder at the helm. Nvidia is also continuing its internal review, saying it has no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised. For now, the calls from employees and technology leaders reflect one central belief: Huang’s contribution to Nvidia’s growth is too significant to ignore, even as questions about his personal conduct remain.