More than 1,600 Nvidia employees are calling on the company's board to bring back Jensen Huang as chief executive, in an internal show of support that has turned the fallout from his resignation into an open fight over the future of the world's most valuable chipmaker. The backlash, reported by WIRED from internal correspondence it reviewed, is the first sign that the staff who built Nvidia under Huang do not accept the board's decision to let him go.

Key Points

• An internal Nvidia "suggestion box" post urging the board to weigh employee sentiment before deciding Jensen Huang's future has drawn more than 1,600 comments, most of them backing his return as CEO, WIRED reported.
• The post was submitted by a longtime Nvidia engineer before Huang resigned, asking the board to share its inquiry findings and formally seek staff views on whether Huang should continue.
• One employee wrote "If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss," and another wrote "We are all humans and can make mistakes. Jensen did so many good things and he needs a second chance."
• The hashtag #BringBackJensen gained attention on X, and about two dozen employees posted support for Huang on LinkedIn.
• Huang resigned on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after 33 years leading the company he co-founded in 1993, while the board's inquiry was still under way. The board named chief financial officer Colette Kress interim CEO and former Synopsys chief executive Harvey Jones as its first-ever chair.

What Happened

The petition began quietly, as a single post in an internal forum where employees can raise concerns for management. A longtime engineer wrote that the board should not decide Huang's future without hearing from the people who work for him, and asked it to publish what its inquiry had found. The post was filed before Huang resigned, when the board was still weighing what to do. By Friday, November 13, it had become something much bigger: more than 1,600 comments, overwhelmingly in Huang's favour, turning an internal suggestion into a public test of the board's authority.

The comments were personal as well as professional. "If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss," one employee wrote. Another added: "We are all humans and can make mistakes. Jensen did so many good things and he needs a second chance." The hashtag #BringBackJensen spread on X, and about two dozen employees put their names to posts of support on LinkedIn, a rare public step. Staff also questioned the timing: the board's inquiry was still under way when Huang resigned.

Background and Context

Huang's resignation ended one of the longest and most successful runs in corporate America. He co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and built it from a graphics-chip start-up into the company at the centre of the artificial intelligence boom, its chips powering the systems that governments and tech giants around the world are racing to build. His departure came after revelations of affairs, including one with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive whom United States intelligence suspects of working for China, and reported relationships with Nvidia employees. In a Sunday email to employees, Huang admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife.

The board moved fast to steady the company, naming chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive and former Synopsys chief executive Harvey Jones as its first-ever chair. But the speed of the change is now part of the argument against it: employees say the board acted while its own inquiry was incomplete, and that the workforce, which had trusted Huang for three decades, was never consulted. Huang has agreed to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on December 3, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is due before the same committee on December 10.

Employees Demand Jensen Huang's Return

The scale of the petition matters because of who Nvidia's employees are. The company's engineers are among the most sought-after in the world, and their loyalty to Huang was a large part of its success. A workforce that publicly campaigns for its former chief executive is a warning to the board: the people who design the chips do not see Huang as a liability to be removed, but as the leader who made the mission worth following. If senior engineers leave while the company faces congressional scrutiny, the interim leadership will struggle to hold the business together.

Reactions and Quotes

The two employee comments quoted by WIRED capture the tone of the petition. "If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss" frames Huang's return as a question of loyalty to what the company stands for. "We are all humans and can make mistakes. Jensen did so many good things and he needs a second chance" makes the case for forgiveness, weighing three decades of achievement against the conduct that ended his tenure. About two dozen employees also posted support for Huang on LinkedIn under their own names.

Why It Matters

The employee revolt matters because Nvidia is not an ordinary company. Its chips are the engine of the artificial intelligence race, and the export rules that govern who can buy them are a central tool of American national security policy. A company in turmoil at the top, with its workforce openly at odds with its board, is harder to steer through the congressional hearings and investigations now under way. It also raises a wider question: the board acted before its inquiry had finished, and employees now ask whether speed was the right call.

What Happens Next

The immediate calendar is set by Congress. Huang is due to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on December 3, and Lutnick follows on December 10. The hearings will put the scandal, the export approvals and the board's handling of the affair on the public record, and the employee petition is likely to be raised as evidence of the mood inside the company. Inside Nvidia, the board must choose: hold its line, or publish the inquiry findings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Nvidia employees want Jensen Huang back?
More than 1,600 comments on an internal "suggestion box" post, most backing Huang's return as CEO, according to WIRED.

What did the employees ask the board to do?
The post, submitted by a longtime Nvidia engineer before Huang resigned, asked the board to share its inquiry findings and formally seek staff views on whether Huang should continue.

Why did Jensen Huang resign?
He resigned on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after revelations of affairs including one with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive US intelligence suspects of working for China.

Who is running Nvidia now?
Chief financial officer Colette Kress is interim CEO, and former Synopsys chief executive Harvey Jones is the board's first-ever chair.

When does Jensen Huang testify to Congress?
Before the Senate Banking Committee on December 3, 2026. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testifies before the same committee on December 10.

Read more on the Nvidia scandal: Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO after spy affair scandal ends 33-year reign and Jensen Huang agrees to testify before Congress in Nvidia China spy probe. For the wider picture, see Howard Lutnick agrees to testify to Congress on Dec. 10 in Nvidia scandal.