Elon Musk says Nvidia could face uncertainty over key business agreements following Jensen Huang’s reported departure, while expressing support for his return.
Elon Musk has warned that Nvidia could lose several important business agreements following the reported departure of former chief executive Jensen Huang, arguing that many of the company’s critical partnerships relied on personal trust rather than formal contracts.
In a post on X on Saturday, the billionaire praised Huang’s management of Nvidia’s supply chain and his ability to maintain strong relationships with business partners. Musk suggested that some significant arrangements could fall apart without Huang’s personal involvement.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief said his own dealings with Huang had consistently been reliable, particularly when securing computing capacity and arranging faster deliveries of essential components.
Musk explained that Huang regularly honoured his commitments, even when formal purchase orders were completed later. He said several important business arrangements had been based on handshakes and personal assurances rather than written agreements.
He also expressed support for Huang’s return, saying he would sign a petition seeking his reinstatement. However, it was not immediately clear whether Musk was referring to an internal campaign reportedly discussed within Nvidia.
Huang’s reported departure on Thursday has raised questions about the leadership and future direction of Nvidia, one of the world’s most valuable technology companies, amid allegations involving his personal relationships and possible foreign intelligence connections.
The controversy intensified following reports of an alleged relationship between Huang and Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based company Megaspeed. US authorities had reportedly been investigating her connections.
Nvidia’s board had launched an inquiry into whether its then-chief executive had become the target of a foreign intelligence operation. However, US intelligence officials have reportedly differed over the strength of evidence linking Alice Huang to China’s Ministry of State Security.
Intelligence gathered so far has reportedly not established that she was acting as a Chinese spy. Nvidia has not publicly commented on the allegations surrounding the investigation.
Huang’s reported exit has also raised questions about the future of the $4 trillion chipmaker and its position in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry.
Under his leadership, Nvidia became a dominant force in AI computing, building extensive relationships with cloud service providers, technology suppliers and major artificial intelligence companies.
The company’s board is now considering potential candidates to lead the business. Rene Haas, chief executive of British chipmaker Arm Holdings, has emerged as a possible contender, according to reports.
Haas previously spent seven years at Nvidia, holding senior positions overseeing computing products, before joining Arm in 2013.
Meanwhile, Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is serving as interim chief executive. The board has said it is selecting an executive search firm and has not formally approached any potential candidates.
Other names reportedly being discussed include Nvidia veteran Ian Buck, AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su, Micron Chief Sanjay Mehrotra, Marvell Chief Matt Murphy and Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji.
Former Apple CEO Tim Cook has also been mentioned as a possible option after US President Donald Trump floated his name.
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