Elon Musk ready to hire Jensen Huang after reports of possible NVIDIA ouster

Billionaire Elon Musk has indicated that he would be willing to hire NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang amid reports that the chipmaker's board is preparing to oust its co-founder following revelations of extramarital affairs, including one with a woman suspected of spying for China.

Responding to a user on social media platform X who wrote, "Elon please hire Jensen", Musk replied, "That would be an honor".

The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said the board was preparing to meet as soon as Wednesday to decide Huang's future at the company he co-founded in 1993.

The controversy erupted after Huang admitted being unfaithful to his wife in a letter to NVIDIA employees and apologised for hurting his family and violating the trust of employees.

One of the reported relationships was with Alice Huang, a Singapore-based businesswoman whom US intelligence agencies suspect of working for Chinese intelligence.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Huang also had an affair with Kimberly Powell, a senior NVIDIA executive who heads its healthcare business.

NVIDIA's board had earlier appointed a committee of independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, to investigate Huang's relationship with Alice Huang.

"While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board's inquiry will examine all available information," the company had said.

The board had also expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team.

The reports have raised questions about succession planning at NVIDIA, one of the world's most valuable semiconductor companies and a major beneficiary of the global artificial intelligence boom.

Huang, 63, has led NVIDIA since its inception in 1993 and remains its largest individual shareholder, holding a stake of about 3.6%.

He has previously said he does not believe in conventional succession planning and reportedly has around 60 executives reporting directly to him.

His potential departure would mark one of the biggest leadership changes in the global technology industry.

Musk, who leads Tesla, SpaceX and artificial intelligence venture xAI, did not indicate whether he had approached Huang or discussed any potential role with him.

His response on X, however, suggested that he would welcome the NVIDIA chief if he were to leave the chipmaking giant.