Elon Musk is signaling support for Jensen Huang, who resigned as Nvidia's chief executive on Thursday following reports of extramarital affairs, one of which allegedly involved a Chinese spy.
The exchange began Wednesday night, before Huang's exit, when the financial news aggregator ZeroHedge posted a message on Musk's social platform X reading, "Elon please hire Jensen." Musk replied, "That would be an honor."
Nvidia announced Thursday that Huang was resigning immediately. The company said Colette Kress, its executive vice president and chief financial officer, will take over as interim CEO.
Huang had been facing mounting scrutiny after a New York Times report claimed American authorities discovered that Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang illegally smuggled advanced AI chips into China while developing a "close relationship" with the then Nvidia chief.
Nvidia's board announced Sunday, following the Times report, that it would open an independent investigation into the matter. On Tuesday, the company said it had hired former acting U.S. attorney Joon H. Kim and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to conduct the inquiry.
On Wednesday, the Times reported that Jensen Huang had a separate affair with an Nvidia executive who reports to him, citing five people who worked at the company.
Huang admitted in a statement Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he said, according to a Bloomberg report.
Musk continued to weigh in as the drama unfolded. After an X account posted Wednesday that "You'd think we'd have learned from Steve Jobs and Travis Kalanick that one does not just simply replace the founder," the SpaceX CEO responded Thursday afternoon, "True words."
Once Huang's resignation became official, President Trump suggested on Truth Social that former Apple CEO Tim Cook should take over, writing that there is only one man to take his place, "TIM COOK of Apple."
Meanwhile, a trio of Republican lawmakers has called on Huang to appear at a joint, closed-door briefing on Nov. 18 to address concerns about Nvidia's security protocols and his interactions with the alleged spy.
