Silicon Valley Is Still Defending Jensen Huang

News of Jensen Huang’s affair with an alleged asset of China’s Ministry of State Security was archetypal met with a muted effect successful Silicon Valley—including wrong Nvidia itself. Huang’s resignation, aft quality of 2 different alleged romanticist relationships with Nvidia staffers, has near some the institution and the broader AI manufacture stunned.

As revelations astir Huang’s archetypal matter came retired earlier this week, rank-and-file Nvidia employees astatine archetypal pursued concern arsenic usual, according to 2 existent and 3 erstwhile employees astatine the chipmaker, speaking anonymously to support relationships astatine the company. They trusted the committee to analyse and enactment accordingly, but fewer workers thought Huang would really leave.

Nvidia’s astir 60,000 employees are loyal to the constituent that its planetary turnover complaint is reportedly among the lowest successful tech. Workers accidental they person heard it called having “green successful your blood” oregon being “green-pilled” oregon connected “team green,” referring to the company’s signature color. Huang was the company’s psyche and the laminitis who stuck with it done challenges for 33 years. Employees appreciated that helium kept layoffs uncommon and reddish portion sparing.

“In conscionable 3 days we went from superhero cape to ‘Oops, I forgot my pants,’ and nobody’s rather definite however to swallow that,” 1 worker said. One erstwhile worker insisted successful Huang’s defence that thing “more sinister” indispensable person been successful play, and that affairs unsocial shouldn’t person led to his departure.

Huang’s peers successful Silicon Valley echoed that sentiment, remaining vocal successful their enactment of the embattled CEO adjacent aft his ouster. “One mistake does not erase a beingness of enactment and publication successful gathering NVDA,” task capitalist Antonio Gracias wrote connected X earlier this week, utilizing the company’s ticker symbol.

The New York Times reported connected Wednesday that Huang has besides had an extramarital matter with a vice president astatine Nvidia, and Reuters revealed connected Thursday a 2nd “intimate relationship” with an employee. Before those alleged affairs became public, aggregate manufacture executives told WIRED that Huang is “irreplaceable” and that his biggest mistake, speech from his narration with Alice Huang, was admitting the matter successful penning to the full company.

That appears to inactive beryllium the prevailing sentiment. “A laminitis who has spent 30 years gathering specified a unsocial institution truthful capably has earned the presumption that helium should support starring it,” task capitalist Sarah Guo wrote connected X aft Huang resigned, and a fewer hours earlier the Reuters report.