'A Massive Mistake': Tech, AI and Crypto Founders React to Jensen Huang’s Nvidia Exit

Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang is out as CEO after 33 years, and some of the loudest names in crypto and artificial intelligence think the company just made a spectacular mistake.

On Thursday, Nvidia confirmed Huang’s resignation as president, CEO, and board member, and named longtime finance chief Colette Kress interim CEO. The move followed reports of two extramarital affairs, including one involving a businesswoman U.S. intelligence reportedly suspected of links to China, as well as concerns over a reported relationship with an Nvidia employee.

Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to employees on Sunday. Nvidia said in a board statement that it had no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised, and its independent investigation remains underway. The allegations about foreign intelligence have not established that Huang knowingly provided information to a foreign government.

But even without any leaks, the scandal was enough for the board to decide to let him go.

The market did not welcome the transition. Nvidia shares fell 14% at Thursday’s opening bell; with more than $500 billion wiped from U.S. stocks in a single minute. The company that was once the most valuable in the world has now fallen to third on that list.

Nvidia was already under pressure before the scandal, and Huang’s departure raised a particular problem for a company built so closely around its founder: Who, exactly, can replace him?

Crypto’s biggest names call it a mistake

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the Binance co-founder and one of crypto’s most influential executives, said “it's a mistake for Nvidia to let Jensen resign.” Bitcoin entrepreneur and former Kraken executive Dan Held agreed, writing, “He shouldn't have resigned,” and argued that Huang’s personal problems should be weighed against the company he built.

It's a mistake for Nvidia to let Jensen resign.

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) November 12, 2026

Erik Voorhees, who founded ShapeShift and privacy-focused AI platform Venice, was more confrontational. “The entire coup against Jensen Huang can be halted by asking a single question,” he wrote. “What evidence is there that Alice Huang is actually a Chinese spy? The answer, unsurprisingly, is absolutely zero.”