Elon Musk Ready To Hire Jensen Huang If Nvidia Shows Its CEO The Exit Door

Elon Musk has said he would be honoured to hire Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, responding to a post on X urging him to bring the chipmaker's co-founder on board. The remark comes as Nvidia's board meets to decide whether to remove Huang following reports of two alleged extramarital relationships and a separate investigation into claims that he was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.

Financial account ZeroHedge posted, “Elon please hire Jensen,” to which Musk replied, “That would be an honour.” The exchange took place on Wednesday evening in the US. Reuters reported on Thursday that Nvidia's board was due to meet late Wednesday to decide whether to remove Huang as chief executive, following reports about his personal relationships.

Nvidia Board Weighs Huang's Future

One of the reported relationships involved Alice Huang, a businesswoman whom US intelligence agencies are reportedly investigating over suspected efforts to facilitate shipments of Nvidia chips to Chinese companies, according to Reuters. Alice Huang is not related to Jensen Huang. The New York Times also reported that US intelligence agencies believed Alice Huang was gathering information for Beijing. The reports have raised questions about whether Jensen Huang may have been unknowingly targeted in a foreign intelligence operation.

Separately, The New York Times reported, citing five people familiar with Nvidia, that Huang had an alleged relationship with Kimberly Powell, the company's vice-president of healthcare, who reported directly to him. Reuters said it could not independently verify the allegations.

In a message to employees, Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and said he took “full responsibility”. He did not name the person involved or address the specific allegations concerning either woman in the message.

Nvidia Appoints Law Firm To Lead Investigation

On November 8, Nvidia's board announced an independent investigation following reports that Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. The board said it had “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised”, expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team, and said he supported the review and would cooperate with it.

On November 10, Nvidia announced that its independent directors had retained former acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim and his law firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to conduct a thorough and independent investigation. The board said its inquiry would examine all available information, while maintaining that it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised.

The board's reported move to consider Huang's removal marks a shift from its November 8 expression of confidence in him. Nvidia has not announced any decision to remove him.