A campaign demanding the return of Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang has gathered more than 135,000 signatures, turning an internal employee backlash into a public challenge to the company's board just days after his resignation.

By early Sunday, November 15, the online campaign had attracted 135,468 signatures, including 6,776 people identifying themselves as current Nvidia employees, according to a Benzinga report citing the petition's counter.

The figures have not been independently verified, and the campaign has acknowledged problems with fraudulent submissions. Nevertheless, the growing support has attracted prominent technology executives, including Elon Musk, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan.

The Stand with Jensen campaign calls on Nvidia's directors to reinstate Huang while an independent investigation establishes the facts surrounding his departure. It also demands greater transparency about the decision-making process.

How the campaign began inside Nvidia

The public petition followed an extraordinary response from employees after Huang's departure became official on November 12.

According to WIRED, which reviewed internal company correspondence, a longtime Nvidia engineer had submitted a message to an internal suggestion box asking the board to consider employees' opinions before deciding Huang's future.

The discussion attracted more than 1,600 comments, with many contributors advocating his return. One employee interviewed by the publication argued that Nvidia's identity was inseparable from its founder's leadership.

Approximately two dozen employees also publicly expressed support for Huang on LinkedIn, while another staff member reportedly circulated a companywide email demanding greater transparency about his exit.

There is an important distinction between those figures. The 1,600 figure represents comments on an internal discussion, not necessarily 1,600 individual employees. Similarly, the public petition allows participants to identify their own relationship with Nvidia, meaning its employee totals cannot be treated as a verified staff vote.

The petition's organisers have said they are removing fake entries and taking steps to prevent further abuse. The campaign is independent and is not officially affiliated with Nvidia or Huang.

What Nvidia's official records reveal about Huang's resignation

While campaign supporters have questioned whether Huang received fair treatment, Nvidia's regulatory disclosures establish a more precise sequence of events.

According to the company's filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the board accepted Huang's resignation as president, CEO and director on November 11, 2026, effective immediately. Nvidia publicly announced the leadership change the following day.

The document describes the departure as a resignation. It does not establish whether Huang faced pressure to leave, an issue central to the reinstatement campaign's concerns.

His exit followed reports about extramarital relationships and allegations involving a possible foreign intelligence connection. Huang had acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in an earlier message to employees, according to WIRED. Other reported relationships and the intelligence-related allegations require separate consideration and should not be treated as established findings.

On November 10, Nvidia's independent directors announced that they had retained former acting US attorney Joon H. Kim and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an independent investigation.

The board subsequently confirmed that chief financial officer Colette Kress would become interim CEO while retaining her existing financial responsibilities. Longtime director Harvey Jones was appointed Nvidia's first-ever board chair.

In its official leadership announcement, Nvidia expressed confidence in Kress and said it would consider both internal and external candidates for a permanent chief executive.

What the petition actually wants from Nvidia's board

The campaign is not simply asking directors to reverse their decision without further investigation.

Its principal demand is for Huang to return while an independent inquiry determines the relevant facts. Organisers also want the board to disclose information about the investigation, provide Huang with an opportunity to respond and explain why removing him from leadership would serve shareholders' interests.

Those demands raise two distinct questions: whether the board followed an appropriate process and whether reinstating Huang would ultimately be in Nvidia's best interests.

The petition demonstrates substantial public support for Huang, but neither its signature count nor the internal comments establish the views of Nvidia's entire workforce. Nor do they determine the outcome of the investigation.

For the moment, the company's publicly announced leadership arrangements remain unchanged.

Nvidia's next scheduled financial update is on Tuesday, November 17, when it will publish its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results and hold an earnings conference call at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

That event will be an early opportunity for investors to assess the company's direction under Kress, although Nvidia has not committed to using the call to address the reinstatement campaign.

Whether the board responds directly to the petition, and whether its investigation produces findings that alter the leadership decision, remain unresolved.