Nvidia Is Preparing to Oust Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

(wsj.com)

96 points | by jbredeche 25 minutes ago

22 comments

  • WheelsAtLarge 0 minutes ago
    Large companies always have a backup plan in case the CEO needs to be replaced. What usually happens in these cases is that a new CEO will be named. That new CEO will focus on maximizing the company's earnings while neglecting the tech. And the company will be an earnings winner for the next few years.

    He's out as CEO but he'll continue to be a force at Nvidia. If the new CEO is smart, he'll keep him in the company, but it will be hard since Huang will be seen as the company's leader and it will be very hard for Huang to act any other way.

  • CyberMacGyver 5 minutes ago
    This doesn’t bode well for Anthropic’s IPO indirectly, due to whole AI industry being propped up largely by Nvidia’s circular investment. Also there’s likely a big overlap of institutional investors who are both NVDA and ANT investors and will now likely seek to dump ANT at the opening bell.
  • karimf 8 minutes ago
    Related: Jensen Huang Said to Have Had Relationship with Nvidia Executive https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50459321
  • droidjj 17 minutes ago
    NVDA down almost 8% in after-hours trading.

    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NVDA/

  • matsemann 1 minute ago
    Why are all the tech overlords scum people? Do they become that way with power, money and fame, or is it a certain kind of person from the start that achieves these things?

    I'm scared about how this in turn shapes society.

  • Fricken 1 minute ago
    Are we even sure she's a spy? I thought she was an alleged spy. Did she steal any sensitive information? How was Huang supposed to know?

    I thought the problem was Nvidia was using megaspeed as part complex web of shell companies to illegally funnel chips to china

  • whatever1 11 minutes ago
    Who wanted him dead? This is the question that is still open.
    • mcmcmc 6 minutes ago
      [delayed]
    • fidotron 6 minutes ago
      It'll be to do with his encouragement of open models.

      Training must not be allowed by normal people. The resulting models may work stuff out that they're not supposed to and that would be bad and wrong.

      • cromka 5 minutes ago
        He wouldnt make and push through this strategy on his own, that's entire board behind it.
  • u1hcw9nx 15 minutes ago
    The only issue is finding replacement, Only 5 days to earnings.
    • qprofyeh 4 minutes ago
      For the time being the CFO or COO would do. But stock will take a hit.
    • missedthecue 9 minutes ago
      Is there one? Obviously lots of MBAs out there but anyone who can really fill his shoes?
  • dcgudeman 16 minutes ago
    Affair or not, this is a tragedy for American technology.
    • bradleybuda 13 minutes ago
      If the affair were not with someone who was a CCP spy then Jensen Huang would still have his job.
  • tayo42 13 minutes ago
    Should have sold at 220 ugh

    But there's no real competitors still? Even for the medium term?

    • iloveyoutwo 2 minutes ago
      I had 10 shares at 30 I sold at 40. Now I'm all bogleheads though.
    • rvz 5 minutes ago
      > But there's no real competitors still? Even for the medium term?

      So AMD, Google are not "real" competitors?

  • rvz 7 minutes ago
    The NYT reports that Huang was caught on video with this second affair when they were together in San Jose.

    Seems like this video and the first affair with the spy was a classic blackmail operation used against him as I said before [0] and Huang likely said no to the wrong person.

    It is over.

    [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50417105

  • jawiggins 8 minutes ago
    From the NYT Story:

    > During the conference, Nvidia executives were at a nearby hotel for meetings. Mr. Huang and Ms. Powell were seen being affectionate at the hotel. One bystander captured the interaction on their phone, three people briefed on the incident said.

    > Mr. Huang’s security witnessed the bystander with their phone and sequestered them, the people said. They made the person an offer to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

    Well, at least there will be one way to make money after AI takes my job...

    Jokes aside, I would expect we will soon learn there is more. Given that Nvidia was vouching for Megaspeed while exporting those chips, I still think there's a reasonable chance Jensen ends up in jail over this. Not large, but possible.

    • ceejayoz 0 minutes ago
      I’m very curious what the going rate for such an offer is.
  • minimaxir 19 minutes ago
    This is certainly fast after the NYT article on his second affair. I suspect this was in the works after the original affair + export scandal.
    • pcbro141 14 minutes ago
      Board is likely looking ahead to Democrats taking office and investigating the spy relationship and lack of action taken by the government.

      Sen. Chris Coons says investigating Nvidia's CEO is top priority for Democratic Congress

      https://www.npr.org/2026/11/09/nx-s1-6032682/senator-chris-c...

    • bmitc 17 minutes ago
      I'm wondering how people like Musk, Zuckerberg, Altman, etc. just continually get away with it. Are they just more sociopathic and cover their tracks better?

      I'm not really making a judgement on Huang, but it seems others have done worse. It's making me wonder if there's something larger at play where people (i.e., other billionaires and CEOs and perhaps politicians) are unhappy with Huang.

      • u1hcw9nx 15 minutes ago
        Zuckerberg and Musk can't be fired. They own controlling share.
        • colechristensen 7 minutes ago
          They could lose control through a substantial shareholder lawsuit. A minority shareholder suit against Musk could prove tremendous damages repaid in stock and the judge might not let the special classes of shares with extra voting power protect his control.

          It would have to be a very good cause though, disliking him or ordinary bad business decisions won't cut it.

        • bmitc 12 minutes ago
          I suppose that's one reason. But Musk has formed basically pyramid schemes to keep his debtors from calling and to move his debt out from under him. Without that, he likely would have to sell shares to cover the debt of his Twitter purchase.
      • barney54 15 minutes ago
        Get away with what exactly?
        • bmitc 4 minutes ago
          Musk, Zuckerberg, and Altman and their companies have zero history of sketchy stuff that would, in a normal world, lead to CEOs being ousted? Affairs are enough to do it to Huang? The whole Chinese spy thing is not confirmed is it? And the three people I've listed have had documented cases of endangering national security through either their actions or their company's actions.
      • mcmcmc 4 minutes ago
        [delayed]
  • aanet 0 minutes ago
    This is how the market tanks...

    SMH

  • mmmmmbop 13 minutes ago
    I hope it was worth it.
    • mcmcmc 2 minutes ago
      [delayed]
  • 44mkultra69 9 minutes ago
    Steve Bannon ( et al., himself already having done the job now serving by rolling release AI proxy ) Trump move. Dunno who invented it but it works
  • galkk 11 minutes ago
    Unless there’s an evidence of him being compromised, this is crazy. I’m total outsider and don’t know Nvidia copropare rule machinery, but from perceived perspective that feels like significant blow to the company.

    I expect shit show funnier than when OpenAI tried to put Altman with same result.

    • sparkling 6 minutes ago
      Even shift leaders at McDonalds need to sign various workplace policies, including policies about relations with their direct reports. So yeah, this is not exactly a surprise or something unheard of.
    • mcmcmc 2 minutes ago
      [delayed]
  • snvzz 14 minutes ago
    Seems the sort of rumor anyone could produce.
  • chad_strategic 3 minutes ago
    Tomorrow's opening headline: US Gov to buy NVIDIA and merge with Intel.

    The US taxpayer wins.

    /s

  • EmX_3000 6 minutes ago
    The possible security implications of this entire affair (affairs now) can't be overstated. That hardware's in the most secret of facilities, computing very classified workloads for very very serious customers. Not the goofy AI heads, I'm talking about the military and intelligence communities in many nations.

    Hopefully this teaches the market to migrate away from proprietary CUDA and NVIDIA and their proprietary drivers.

  • waffletower 12 minutes ago
    I wonder if Trump will retaliate against Nvidia. Neither (firing, retaliating) would be good for the world economy.