Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, has said it would be “an honor” to hire the head of Nvidia, Jensen Huang. The statement comes at a time when reports are growing about the possible departure of Huang from the American chipmaker. Musk’s brief reply on the X platform late Wednesday came after a post that said: “Elon, please hire Jensen.”
The billionaire did not identify a possible position for Huang. Nor did he specify which of his companies might hire him. There is no information about any formal job offer or recruitment discussions.
He was responding to a post that openly invited him to hire the head of Nvidia, but his reply contained no details about a formal job offer or recruitment discussions. The reaction followed a report by The Wall Street Journal that Nvidia’s board was preparing to dismiss Huang. According to the newspaper, directors planned to meet on Wednesday to decide his future, citing people familiar with the matter.
The report followed revelations about alleged extramarital affairs by Huang with two women: Alice Huang, a former executive at Mega Speed International who has been accused of being a Chinese spy, and an employee of the company. These allegations do not constitute a publicly proven finding. Nvidia has announced an independent board investigation after reports that Huang may have been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort.
The developments caused a significant reversal in Nvidia’s share price. The stock fell by $14.95, or 8.61%, to $158.78 in after-hours trading on Wednesday. Earlier, it closed the regular session at $173.73, having risen by $4.84, or 2.87%.
The Financial Times also reported that the board was ready to decide on Huang’s future following the scandal. Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has served as its president and chief executive since its founding, according to the company’s annual report. He is also a member of its board.
His possible departure would mark a major change in the leadership of a company that has become the dominant supplier of chips used to develop and run artificial intelligence systems. Nvidia’s expansion has placed Huang at the center of the global boom in artificial intelligence investment and of the technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.