Will Jensen Huang Join Elon Musk? Speculation Grows After Nvidia Exit as Musk Calls Hiring Him an Honor

Jensen Huang's sudden resignation as Nvidia Corp.'s chief executive has sparked a new question across Silicon Valley and Wall Street: Will the ousted chip billionaire go to work for Elon Musk?

The speculation took off after Musk publicly said he would welcome Huang. Late Wednesday, financial blog ZeroHedge posted on X, "Elon please hire Jensen." Musk replied: "That would be an honor."

Hours later, Nvidia's board announced Thursday morning that Huang had resigned as president, CEO and director, effective immediately, ending his 33-year run at the company he co-founded.

For now, however, there is no indication that Huang plans to join Musk or that the two have discussed any arrangement.

An expression of support, not an offer

Musk's reply did not mention a job, name which of his companies might employ Huang, or confirm any hiring talks. Teslarati noted that his reply stopped short of a formal offer.

Musk made the comment before Huang's resignation was confirmed, as reports circulated that Nvidia's board was preparing to oust him. Huang has not said what he intends to do next.

Investing.com described Musk's comment as an expression of willingness rather than a job offer.

Musk had backed Huang earlier in the scandal as well. On Nov. 9, he endorsed a post by Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire, who wrote that he believed "Jensen is irreplaceable for America's AI leadership." Musk replied, "I agree."

Investors take notice

The idea of a Musk-Huang partnership appeared to catch investors' attention. SpaceX shares rose about 3% to 4% on Thursday, even as Nvidia fell more than 8% and the broader technology sector slid.

Investing.com said investors were weighing the possibility of an alliance between two of the technology industry's most influential figures.

SpaceX stock traded at $143.84 in morning trading, while Nvidia shares fell to about $159.52.

Deep business ties

Musk's support reflects close business connections between his companies and Nvidia.

Nvidia owns about 122.8 million SpaceX shares, which it received after investing in Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI. SpaceX acquired xAI earlier this year.

In August, Musk announced plans to build SpaceX's AI infrastructure on Nvidia chips. He has also hinted at plans for a space-based data center powered by Nvidia's AI processors. SpaceX has committed to a $40 billion lease for Nvidia chips and related equipment.

Tesla and xAI have also been major buyers of Nvidia graphics processors for training AI models.

The relationship between the two men goes back years. Huang has personally delivered Nvidia's newest AI computers to Musk, including the first DGX-1 supercomputer in 2016, delivered to OpenAI, which Musk co-founded. He later hand-delivered a DGX Spark system to SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, Benzinga reported.

Obstacles to a move

Even if both men were interested, a move would face significant hurdles.

Huang remains under scrutiny over his relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Nvidia customer Megaspeed whom U.S. officials suspect of being a Chinese intelligence asset. The two are not related. China has denied the allegations, and Nvidia has not said its investigation found any compromise of national security or company secrets.

Republican lawmakers have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18 and have threatened a subpoena if he refuses. Investing.com noted that Huang could still face questions from Congress after leaving Nvidia.

That could make him a difficult hire for SpaceX, which holds sensitive U.S. government contracts, including work for NASA and the Defense Department. Companies with defense and national security contracts face strict security requirements.

Investing.com also said Musk himself could face increased congressional scrutiny if he brought Huang into his business orbit.

Huang also remains one of Nvidia's largest individual shareholders, with about 3.5% of the company's stock. Joining a major Nvidia customer could raise questions about conflicts of interest.

Critics react

Musk's comment drew criticism from some observers. Tech journalist Kara Swisher reacted to Musk's support for Huang by writing, "Their twisted souls get twistier," according to Soap Central.

Others online doubted Huang would want to work for Musk, given that he spent more than three decades running his own company.

What's next for Huang

Huang, 63, built Nvidia from a maker of video-game graphics cards into the world's dominant supplier of AI chips, worth more than $4 trillion at its peak. He is one of the world's richest people.

Nvidia named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim CEO and longtime director Harvey C. Jones as its first board chair. The board said it will consider internal and external candidates for a permanent replacement.

Huang has not commented publicly on his future plans. In his Nov. 8 memo to staff, he apologized to his family and employees.

"I was unfaithful to my wife," Huang wrote. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."

For now, any Musk-Huang partnership remains speculation.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.