Over 100,000 signatures call for Huang to return to NVIDIA

The “Stand with Jensen” petition launched after NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang stepped down announced that it had passed the 100,000-signature threshold in less than 24 hours. According to the campaign’s November 14, 2026 statement, more than 5,000 of the signatures came from people identifying themselves as NVIDIA employees, around 1,000 from former employees, and more than 54,000 from shareholders.

The live summary on the campaign site shows 107,918 signatures. The public signature list, meanwhile, matches 72,021 entries, because people who sign can choose to keep their names private. In other words, the public list reflects only part of the total.

What is the letter asking for?

The open letter’s first demand is that Huang be restored to the CEO position unless the board presents compelling evidence that removing him was in the company’s best interest, at least until an independent investigation establishes the facts. If the board believes his absence is necessary, it is being asked to provide an evidence-based and concrete explanation.

The letter’s other points include disclosing the scope, independence, and expected timeline of the investigation, giving Huang an opportunity to respond before a final decision is made, and announcing that decision to the public in a timely manner along with its reasoning. That explanation is expected to cover the concerns involved, the evidence it relied on, and how employee and shareholder interests were weighed, while also respecting legitimate confidentiality limits.

The campaign organizers acknowledge that they do not have access to the board’s closed-door discussions. They also present their procedural objections as concerns rather than definitive findings. The letter’s position is clear: Huang’s leadership record does not place him above accountability, but holding him accountable requires evidence, a fair hearing, and a reasoned decision.

How are the signatures being verified?

Creating an account is not required to sign. Email addresses are not published, and each signer is given a unique code that allows them to withdraw their signature. Affiliation details such as employee, former employee, or shareholder status are optional and based on self-reporting. New signatures may be held for review by the organizers; they are not published or added to the count unless approved.

According to the site’s explanation, every new signer’s name, including names kept private, is sent to OpenAI for a non-identity-verifying, language-based format check. Broken or ambiguous names, or cases where the check does not work, are left pending approval rather than being automatically rejected. Messages selected for publication go through a separate review, and only the message text is used in that review. Messages that mock Huang or carry negative sentiment toward him can lead to the signature being rejected entirely; messages deemed unclear or inappropriate are held until approved.

Leadership change at NVIDIA

NVIDIA announced on November 12, 2026, that Huang had stepped down as chairman, CEO, and board member effective immediately. Huang led the company he co-founded for 33 years. According to the company’s statement, Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO while continuing in her roles as executive vice president and chief financial officer. The board has launched a search for a permanent successor covering both internal and external candidates, and appointed Harvey C. Jones as the board’s first lead independent director.

The campaign has already generated a broad public reaction around an ongoing leadership transition. The reported totals show the reach of the appeal, while the verification and moderation rules limit what those numbers can prove about employee and shareholder sentiment. The question before the board is this: Does this reaction require reconsidering a transition already underway, or making the public disclosure the letter is asking for?

Source: Unite.AI