The recent departure of Jensen Huang from his position as Nvidia’s Chief Executive Officer was not a consequence of technological failure, but rather the result of reckless overconfidence and arrogance, according to recent claims.
Steven Witt, who authored Huang’s biography ‘The Thinking Machine,’ analyzed the circumstances surrounding Huang’s exit and affair allegations in an opinion piece published by the New York Times on the 12th (local time).
‘Outraged by opposing views… Executives genuinely terrified’
According to Witt, he first met Huang in back in 2023. At the time, Huang projected a humble demeanor by crediting employees for success and leaving massive tips for restaurant servers, including a 1,000-dollar tip after breakfast.
However, as time passed, Witt began to suspect these actions were merely theatrical performances designed to project false humility.
Huang rarely accepted opposing viewpoints. If anyone raised objections, even over trivial matters, he would fly into a rage and verbally berate them for over an hour. Witt recalled that executives appeared genuinely terrified of Huang.
Witt also highlighted Nvidia’s rigid culture of silence. Employees would placate Huang with flattering smiles in his presence only to voice complaints in hushed whispers once he left the room. Witt argued that this corporate culture enabled Huang’s tyrannical behavior.
‘Office affair was an open secret’… Criticism over family-first image
Witt additionally raised suspicions regarding an affair between Huang and Kimberly Powell, a healthcare division executive and direct subordinate. He noted that a former employee told him their relationship was an open secret within the company.
When Witt asked how Huang could engage in such behavior at a company where his two children also worked as executives, the employee reportedly replied that it stemmed from a narcissistic sense of intoxication.
Witt further criticized Huang for frequently emphasizing his deep affection for his family. Huang married Lori, whom he met in an electrical engineering class at age 17, in his early twenties, while Lori dedicated herself to childcare and supported his early startup. Witt pointed out that Huang completely betrayed his wife.
Clashes with China hawks after aligning with Trump, plus no successor
Witt pointed to political conflicts within the U.S. administration as the catalyst that triggered Huang’s ouster.
Last year, Huang successfully courted President Donald Trump’s favor to emerge as a close confidant. Witt evaluated that Huang succeeded in gaining Trump’s trust through sycophancy.
Subsequent efforts by Huang to lobby for eased export controls on Nvidia chips to China brought him into direct collision with China hawks like Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Witt claimed that Huang’s downfall was ultimately political.
He also drew attention to the relationship between Huang and Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly suspect of being a Chinese spy. Given allegations that approximately 7 billion dollars worth of Nvidia equipment was illegally smuggled into China through a Southeast Asian data center associated with Alice Huang, Witt argued it is implausible that Huang was unaware.
Witt noted that Huang’s failure to cultivate a successor left a severe leadership vacuum at Nvidia. He assessed that interim CEO Colette Kress, a finance specialist, is poorly positioned to offer long-term guidance for semiconductor technology.
Concluding his critique, Witt likened Nvidia without Jensen Huang to the Chicago Bulls without Michael Jordan, stating that while Huang built Nvidia from nothing, his arrogance and harmful self-centeredness left behind an impossible void to fill.
