Musk warns Nvidia could lose key deals without CEO Jensen Huang

Elon Musk said on Saturday that Nvidia could lose several “critical” business deals following the departure of its former chief executive Jensen Huang, warning that some partnerships depended heavily on personal trust rather than formal agreements.

Huang stepped down on Thursday after reports emerged about alleged extramarital relationships, including one involving a woman suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence.

The revelations triggered turmoil at the chipmaker and raised concerns across the artificial intelligence industry, which Huang had played a major role in supporting.

Commenting on the development on X, Musk praised Huang's ability to manage Nvidia's supply chain, saying several important arrangements had been based on personal commitments rather than written contracts. He warned that the company could lose some of these agreements without Huang's involvement.

The SpaceX chief also recalled his own dealings with the former CEO, saying Huang had consistently honoured commitments involving computing resources and the expedited supply of components, even before formal purchase orders were completed.

Musk separately claimed that a petition seeking Huang's reinstatement was underway and said he intended to sign it. However, it remained unclear whether he was referring to an internal campaign mentioned in a Wired report.

Nvidia declined to comment on the publication's report or Musk's remarks, while Reuters said it could not independently confirm the reports.

Pressure on Huang had reportedly intensified following allegations of an affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, who was reportedly under investigation by US authorities. The two individuals are not related.