US President Donald Trump has said he is saddened by Jensen Huang’s exit from Nvidia, calling what happened to the company’s former CEO a “horrible thing.” He made the remark in an interview held only hours after Huang stepped down on Thursday.
CNBC reported that the comment came during a conversation with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt. Trump had been talking about how the US would be in “bad shape” if it lost its lead in artificial intelligence, and he brought up Huang along the way.
Trump said he follows the subject closely and described himself as “genetically blessed.” He pointed to an uncle he called probably the top professor in the history of MIT, who spent 51 years there and won a prestigious science award. Trump said he handed out the same award last week, to Elon Musk, Google and others, and that Jensen was among them. He added that this was a little before the news broke.
He then said it was so sad to see what has happened. Trump closed by saying his family background gives him an inclination toward this kind of science, and that he is a believer in it.
A Truth Social post about Tim Cook
Earlier the same day, Trump wrote on Truth Social that, with Huang gone after doing a “fantastic job,” there was “only one man” to take his place, Apple’s Tim Cook. It is not clear whether he meant the post as a joke.
Cook stepped down as Apple’s CEO in September after more than a decade in the role. He remains executive chairman of the company’s board. He has also donated to Trump in the past.
Who runs Nvidia now
Nvidia’s board named longtime chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim CEO. She joined the company in 2013 and will keep her CFO duties while overseeing the business. The board has begun looking for a permanent replacement and has appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever board chair. It expects operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap to continue without interruption.
In a note to staff, Kress said she believes deeply in the company and its future, and urged employees to move forward together with the same determination that has always defined Nvidia.
Why Huang left
Nvidia did not give a reason for his resignation. It followed reports of two extramarital relationships. The board had earlier opened an independent investigation into his relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence has identified as a Chinese intelligence asset. The New York Times then reported on Wednesday that he also had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, a senior Nvidia executive who reported to him.
Reports also said the board held an emergency meeting over whether to remove him. Analysts quoted by Axios said his departure could threaten what some see as an AI bubble, and lawmakers are unlikely to ease their scrutiny of the company or of Huang. On Thursday, a new Reuters report stated the Jensen Huang had a third affair, with another employee of his. The outlet hasn’t published the woman’s name, as of now.
