150,000 people want Jensen Huang back at Nvidia, and here's why

Published Nov 15, 2026, 5:00 PM EST Vishwamoorthy's interest in tech started early, as a school student, watching Pixel 2 XL camera review videos and being awestruck by what a phone camera with excellent software could do. That curiosity stuck with him: since 2022, he's published over 1,500 articles covering smartphones, Android, and consumer tech news at FoneArena, one of India's leading tech publications. Lately, he's obsessed with how AI is reshaping the business world, the deals, the products, the quiet feature rollouts nobody notices until they're everywhere. Reading and writing about tech is what keeps him going; doomscrolling is what keeps him honest. Jensen Huang's sudden departure from Nvidia, the heartbeat of the AI industry, has sparked an unusual reaction across the tech industry. Within days of his resignation, more than 150,000 people signed an online petition urging the board to reinstate him as CEO. The campaign has attracted prominent supporters and business partners, including Elon Musk and Replit CEO Amjad Masad, alongside thousands of people identifying themselves as Nvidia employees and shareholders. Signers are concerned that Huang may have been forced to resign without due process or even a few days to make his case. While the circumstances surrounding his departure have raised some serious questions, the backlash also highlights just how much the company and AI industry rely on Jensen, who built the firm brick by brick over more than 33 years. Nvidia might have no trouble building AI chips moving forward, but replacing everything he brings to the table is a different challenge. Why Nvidia employees and tech leaders want Jensen back The backlash over Huang's departure is growing The campaign called "Stand with Jensen" has taken over the internet, garnering support from prominent tech leaders such as Elon Musk, Replit CEO Amjad Masad, and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. The petition argues that Huang was removed without meaningful due process and asks Nvidia's board to reinstate him while an independent investigation establishes the facts. The support isn't limited to shareholders, supporters and business partners outside Nvidia. An internal suggestion-box post urging the board to consider employee sentiment attracted more than 1600 comments, with many calling for Huang's return as CEO, as reported by Business Insider. What's interesting is that supporters aren't necessarily arguing that Huang should be above accountability. They believe he deserves a fair chance to respond and that the board should properly investigate the claims before making such a drastic decision on a leader who spent 33 years building Nvidia. We are concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process. We do not have access to the Board's private deliberations. We have not been shown evidence substantiating the allegation that the woman at the center of this controversy was a spy. — Statement from the "Stand with Jensen" petition Nvidia could lose more than just its CEO Credit: Nvidia While Nvidia's recent success might be attributed to powerful AI chips, the man behind the idea, which started with gaming chips, had beliefs even in the days when AI was not a thing. So, the conviction behind his idea, which he has held for so long, is now being spread across the globe with a positive attitude, attracting a huge amount of money into the AI industry. Nvidia's success depends on a complex global supply chain involving manufacturers, memory suppliers, packaging companies, and other technology partners. Keeping all these relationships intact requires years of negotiations, trust, and industry connections, precisely the things Jensen thrives at. This is where Elon Musk raised an interesting concern, pointing to the fact that many of Nvidia's critical supply-chain deals were built on personal relationships with Jensen rather than formal contracts. It's a reminder that while Nvidia can hire another CEO, it cannot automatically transfer the personal relationships Huang has spent over three decades building a business. Jensen drove supply chain brilliantly at Nvidia, but many of those deals were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract, Elon Musk said. Replacing Jensen means replacing decades of leadership The people behind Nvidia's success matter just as much Credit: Nvidia One thing I find interesting about Jensen Huang's departure is how much of Nvidia's leadership structure revolves around him. According to The Washington Post, roughly 60 executives reported directly to Huang, giving him an unusually close involvement in different parts of the business. The company also needs to retain the people who helped build its technological advantage and the heartbeat of the company. Ian Buck, who led the creation of CUDA, Nvidia's software platform that allows developers to harness the computing power of its GPUs, and Jonah Alben, who oversees GPU engineering, are among the key executives Nvidia needs to preserve. Alongside longtime CFO and current interim CEO Colette Kress, these leaders carry years of institutional knowledge that will be difficult to replace. Nvidia's challenge isn't just finding another CEO; it's retaining the people who know how to turn Huang's vision into reality. Can Nvidia carry Jensen's vision without him? Nvidia is at the center of an AI industry attracting and circulating billions of dollars in investments, and the stakes are higher than ever as concerns about an AI bubble continue to grow. At this juncture, the Nvidia board's rash decision regarding Huang's extramarital affairs, without a proper investigation into the allegations and their potential impact, is actually escalating uncertainty around the tech industry in general. The company has the engineering talent and resources to keep building AI chips. But that's not its biggest challenge. It's preserving the relationships, trust and long-term vision that Jensen Huang spent more than three decades building. Nvidia will eventually find its next CEO, but can it find someone who can carry the legacy forward?