Trump calls for Apple’s Tim Cook to replace Jensen Huang at Nvidia

Detailed summary

Trump calls for Tim Cook to replace Jensen Huang at Nvidia after resignation claims and White House tensions over China ties. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Tim Cook stood down as Apple CEO in September 2026, but remains executive chair of its board of directors.

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Nov 12 that former Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook should replace Jensen Huang at Nvidia, after Huang quit over revelations of two affairs, including one with an alleged Chinese spy.

“Now that Nvidia CEO JENSEN HUANG, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place – TIM COOK of Apple,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Trump has no formal say in who should run chip giant Nvidia, which is at the centre of the AI revolution, but his extraordinary intervention underscores his close ties to both Huang and Cook.

During his second presidency, Trump has treated Nvidia co-founder Huang as a close adviser, even bringing him on board Air Force One for a state visit to China in May.

After allegations emerged about Huang’s ties to Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, Trump this week defended the Nvidia boss and said he had no idea Alice Huang was allegedly spying for Beijing.

Trump added that Jensen Huang, who is not related to Alice Huang, was “suffering greatly” and described the Taiwanese-born tech boss as “an amazing guy”.

But Trump still faces questions over what he knew about the allegations – and when he knew.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump was informed about the allegations by Secretary of State Marco Rubio aboard Air Force One in May – shortly before picking up Huang in Alaska for the flight to Beijing.

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