A petition calling on Nvidia to reinstate the company’s recently ousted CEO Jensen Huang appears to have attracted more than 115,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon.
The petition website said the signers include 5,965 current Nvidia employees, 1,108 former employees, and 63,063 shareholders. Notable supporters include Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan.
The petition states that its signers are “concerned that Jensen was removed without meaningful due process” and demands that the board “bring him back while an independent investigation establishes the facts.” It also calls on the board to ensure a fair investigation and provide more information to the public.
“Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice,” the petition says.
Huang resigned on Thursday, four days after confessing to having an affair with a chip executive suspected by U.S. intelligence to be a Chinese spy. News reports have also suggested that Huang engaged in multiple extramarital affairs.
Nvidia appointed CFO Colette Kress as the company’s interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement. Nvidia’s stock price fell 2% on Friday, while Huang’s departure is also expected to leave a big gap in AI industry funding.
