Whatever. I don’t care: Inside Jensen Huang’s last hours as Nvidia CEO

Detailed summary

Inside Jensen Huang’s Nvidia resignation amid affair scandal and board investigation Read more at straitstimes.com.

Jensen Huang’s usual take-charge demeanour had evaporated, and he had started using phrases like “whatever” and “I don’t care”.

At the end, Jensen Huang looked broken and shattered, his legendary energy spent.

After weeks of denying the allegations of infidelity and fighting to keep his job as Nvidia’s chief executive, he surrendered unconditionally on Nov 12.

Huang’s usual take-charge demeanour had evaporated, said a person familiar with the situation, and he had started using phrases like “whatever” and “I don’t care”.

For the decades he spent building Nvidia into a multi-trillion-dollar AI chip behemoth, Huang was famous for his attention to the tiniest of details, from chip architecture to the compensation packages of even the most junior employees.

It was a stunningly quick fall for a billionaire and tech titan who, two weeks ago, was the face of artificial intelligence globally.

With his directness and vigour, he had charmed US President Donald Trump, shaped global tech policy and drawn adoring crowds on his papal-style international tours.

It is hard to imagine the current AI boom happening without Huang, his company and their chips, and it is hard to imagine what it will look like after his fall.

As Harvey Jones, chair of the company’s board of directors, wrote in an e-mail to staff after Huang’s ouster: “Jensen’s contributions to Nvidia are profound. Nvidia is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world.”

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