US President Donald Trump called Jensen Huang before the former Nvidia boss stepped down, urging him to keep fighting for his job, according to two people briefed on the conversation and reported by the New York Times.
Huang resigned with immediate effect on Thursday as president, chief executive and a member of Nvidia's board after 33 years in charge, following revelations of his affair with a woman accused of being a Chinese spy and another with one of his employees.
Trump's Support and Warnings
Trump reportedly urged the Nvidia CEO to continue in his role, sharing a closeness with the US president who has praised his work on "superintelligence". The president took no action despite being warned at least twice about Huang's relationship with Chinese citizen Alice Huang, whom intelligence agencies concluded had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security.
The first warning came late last year and the second in the spring. Trump brought Huang with him on a trip to China in May and publicly praised the former Nvidia boss in recent days, saying in a social media post on Thursday that he was a "legend".
Resignation and Interim Leadership
Huang co-founded the chipmaker in April 1993 and oversaw its rise as one of the most valuable companies in the world. Nvidia confirmed his departure following the revelations of the affairs.
Nvidia announced on Thursday that its chief financial officer Colette Kress would take over as interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.
