SANTA CLARA, California — Elon Musk warned on Saturday, November 14, 2026, that Nvidia will lose critical deals without Jensen Huang, arguing that much of the chipmaker's supply chain ran on the ousted chief executive's personal word rather than on paper. Musk said the handshake agreements Huang built over 33 years cannot be handed to a successor — and at least some will now disappear.

The warning landed as the campaign to bring Huang back gathered pace. The petition "Thirty-three years deserve an answer" had passed 44,000 signatures by Saturday, according to the Indian Express, including more than 4,400 current Nvidia employees and more than 41,000 shareholders, while the campaign's own tally had passed 120,000 names by Saturday evening. Musk, who said on Friday he was signing the petition, has become its most prominent backer.

Huang, 63, resigned on Thursday, November 12, after 33 years as co-founder and chief executive of Nvidia, the $4 trillion company at the centre of the artificial-intelligence boom. His departure followed reports of extramarital affairs, including one involving Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based Megaspeed. Nvidia's board said it was examining whether Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort.

Key Points

• Musk said on Saturday that many of Nvidia's supply-chain deals were "a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract" and warned some "will be lost" without Huang.
• The "Thirty-three years deserve an answer" petition passed 44,000 signatures by Saturday; the campaign tally topped 120,000 names by Saturday evening.
• Huang, 63, resigned on Thursday, November 12, after 33 years as co-founder and chief executive, amid reports of affairs including one with Alice Huang.
• Nvidia's board named finance chief Colette Kress interim chief executive, ordered an independent investigation, and approached Arm chief Rene Haas.
• Nvidia declined to comment; the board says it has not formally engaged any chief executive candidate.

What Happened

Musk posted his warning on X on Saturday, two days after Huang's resignation. "Jensen drove supply chain brilliantly at Nvidia, but many of those deals were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract," Musk wrote. "Without Jensen, at least some of those critical deals will be lost." Musk named no company, supplier or contract at risk — but as head of Tesla and SpaceX, his words carry weight with suppliers and investors.

Musk then described his own dealings with Huang. "If Jensen gave me his word about compute delivery or I asked for components to be accelerated, he always came through," he wrote. "Sure, we'd put together a purchase order at some point later, but I never for a second thought it wouldn't happen." The petition grew fast: when Musk first backed it on Friday, saying "A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I'm signing it too," it had about 14,846 signatures. It says Huang was "removed without meaningful due process" and demands reinstatement and a fair hearing. More than 1,600 Nvidia employees had already urged the board to weigh staff sentiment, according to WIRED.

Background: 33 Years, One Sudden Exit

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led it for 33 years, turning a graphics-chip maker into the world's most valuable company and the engine room of the AI boom. He steered engineering roadmaps, negotiated export rules and poured Nvidia's cash into cloud providers, suppliers and AI labs. Analysts call him a hands-on "chief conductor".

The crisis began with reports of Huang's affairs, including one with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive. Nvidia shares fell 4.3 percent on Thursday and 3 percent on Friday, and the Senate Banking Committee has summoned Huang to testify on December 3.

Nvidia Without Huang: The Deals at Risk

Musk's warning goes to the heart of how Nvidia does business. In the AI chip market, supply is scarce, lead times are long and the biggest buyers compete fiercely for every shipment. In that world, a handshake from the chief executive can move production schedules and secure scarce components faster than any contract.

That kind of business is hard to transfer. A new chief executive arrives without 33 years of shared history with suppliers and without the informal understandings that never made it onto paper. Some may survive, but Musk's argument is that at least some will not, showing up as delayed deliveries and lost orders. Colette Kress, now interim chief executive, is seen as a steady financial authority rather than a Huang-style dealmaker.

Reactions

Musk's posts were the loudest voice in a weekend of pressure on the board. "Jensen drove supply chain brilliantly at Nvidia, but many of those deals were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract," he wrote. "Without Jensen, at least some of those critical deals will be lost." The petition's organisers make a similar case, saying Huang was "removed without meaningful due process". Nvidia declined to comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports behind the petition.

Why It Matters

Nvidia is not an ordinary company in trouble. At roughly $4 trillion in market value, it is the world's most valuable business and the most important supplier of the chips that power artificial intelligence, from the data centres training the largest models to the cars and robots that depend on them. If its supply chain wobbles, the effects ripple outward: delayed AI projects, higher costs for cloud providers and slower rollouts for carmakers and labs.

What Happens Next

The board's search for a permanent chief executive is now the decisive question. The Financial Times reported on Friday that the board has approached Arm Holdings chief Rene Haas, who spent seven formative years at Nvidia before joining Arm in 2013 and has led Arm since 2022. Other names include veteran engineer Ian Buck, who led development of CUDA, AMD chief Lisa Su, Micron chief Sanjay Mehrotra, Marvell head Matt Murphy and Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji. Third-quarter results on Tuesday, November 17, will be the first public test of the post-Huang Nvidia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Jensen Huang resign as Nvidia chief executive?
Huang resigned on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after 33 years as co-founder and chief executive, following reports of extramarital affairs, including one involving Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive.

What did Elon Musk say about Nvidia's deals without Huang?
Musk said many of Nvidia's supply-chain deals "were a handshake with Jensen, not a written contract" and warned: "Without Jensen, at least some of those critical deals will be lost." He said Huang always kept his word on chip deliveries.

How many people have signed the petition to bring Huang back?
The "Thirty-three years deserve an answer" petition passed 44,000 signatures by Saturday, November 14, including 4,400 current Nvidia employees; the campaign tally topped 120,000 names.

Who is running Nvidia now?
Colette Kress is interim chief executive while the board searches for a successor. It has ordered an independent investigation and has not formally engaged any candidate.

Who could replace Huang as Nvidia chief executive?
The Financial Times reported the board has approached Arm chief Rene Haas. Other names include Ian Buck, Lisa Su of AMD, Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron, Matt Murphy of Marvell and Johny Srouji of Apple.