New Delhi: Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Pershing Square Capital Management CEO Bill Ackman, and Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire have come out in support of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang after he admitted to an affair with a suspected Chinese spy.
Ackman described Huang as an incredible human who had made a mistake, while urging people to support him and his family.
“Jensen Huang is human. And he is an incredible human. Even incredible humans make mistakes. He takes full responsibility as he should. We should all support him and his family,” Ackman wrote in a post on X.
Ackman later clarified that he was not suggesting Huang should receive a free pass for his actions.
“I like the guy. He has done a lot of good for the world and I hope that the damage here is minimal,” he added.
Maguire, a partner at venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, also defended Huang, describing him as “one of the greatest entrepreneurs of this generation”.
In his post on X, Maguire acknowledged that Huang had made a serious mistake, describing his actions as “incredibly dumb” and “bad for America”. However, he said he did not believe Huang had acted with malicious intent.
“Two mistakes don’t make a right, and I believe Jensen is irreplaceable for America’s AI leadership,” Maguire wrote.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to Maguire’s post agreeing with him, writing: “I agree.”
Trump calls Huang ‘honourable’
US President Donald Trump also came out in support of Huang, describing him as an “honourable guy” who had done an “amazing job” for the country.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said he had not spoken to Huang about the allegations but hoped everything was fine.
“I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it,” Trump said.
Asked whether he would take Huang along on his upcoming trip to Asia, he said, “I don’t know, but I’d certainly take him.”
Also read: Nvidia’s Jensen Huang was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy, says report
Huang apologises to family, Nvidia employees
In a letter to Nvidia employees on Sunday, Huang admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologised to his family, acknowledging the hurt his actions had caused.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.
63-year-old Huang has been married to 41-year-old Lori.
Addressing company members, Huang said he had fallen short of his responsibility to serve them and earn their trust.
“Leading Nvidia is the privilege of my life. My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility,” he wrote.
Nvidia board launches independent probe
The apology came as Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation into reports that Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.
In a statement on November 8, the board said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside legal counsel, would oversee the investigation.
The investigation follows reports that Huang had developed a close relationship with Alice Huang. US intelligence officials reportedly suspect Alice Huang of working for Chinese intelligence and passing information to Beijing.
She previously worked as a television journalist in China before entering the technology industry.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)