Elon Musk posted in support of Huang Renxun: “There’s a petition calling for Jensen Huang’s return, and I’m signing in solidarity.”

Within less than 24 hours of Huang’s resignation, a single post in the company’s “suggestion box” sparked over 1,600 comments, most demanding: “Bring back the boss,” while calling for the entire current board to step down.

Some NVIDIA shareholders and employees genuinely advocate for a board overhaul. After all, through employee stock ownership plans, approximately 27,000 staff members became millionaires, and Huang increased the value of NVIDIA’s shares by 70,000%.

Musk’s public endorsement may seem chivalrous, but can it truly help Huang?

The saying goes: when the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is discarded. Perhaps Musk feels sympathy born of shared vulnerability. Yet the broader context surrounding Huang extends beyond personal scandal—originating perhaps with a woman, but far from ending there. It touches on efforts to dismantle open-source artificial intelligence and much more.

At a smaller scale, some individuals initially sought only NVIDIA—not necessarily to destroy Huang personally.

But Musk’s high-profile endorsement could signal to external actors that Huang still commands significant influence, potentially capable of a comeback. That might trigger contingency plans: a billionaire’s bankruptcy followed by a suicide would not be unprecedented.

A leap from a window, a mysterious shooting death attributed to “himself,” or a sudden, unexplained illness weeks later—these scenarios are no longer far-fetched.

If the central issue is indeed NVIDIA, and if political persecution is underway, then the goal may be to weaken the target. In such cases, a safer strategy might be apparent submission—appearing broken, allowing opponents to believe the threat has been neutralized.

Originally, removing Huang from leadership and subjecting him to public and professional hardship constituted a substantial, even sufficient, reckoning for his actions.

Now, Musk’s intervention—publicly backing Huang’s return as CEO—and Trump’s phone call urging him to “fight” may have the opposite effect.

This could inflict further damage on Huang, whose resilience may already be strained beyond capacity.

Certainly, Musk’s support for Huang is not merely an act of brotherly pity. It is also a direct challenge to NVIDIA’s board: the man you ousted is so influential that even I am willing to stand beside him.

One party reportedly warned: if the board fails to bring Huang back, they will collectively leave for SpaceX’s Terafab division. Musk has pledged to reserve positions for all NVIDIA employees.

How will the NVIDIA board respond?

It is unlikely to reverse course. After navigating a complex transition, reinstating Huang would amount to admitting past error—a politically and institutionally costly admission.

Meanwhile, Washington would not tolerate a Chinese-American CEO reclaiming such a pivotal position.

Beneath Musk’s public gesture lies another reality: he himself now perceives an existential threat. He may be next.

A letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal reveals that Democratic senators have formally requested Musk preserve all records related to SpaceX’s restrictions on Ukraine’s use of its Starlink and Starshield satellite services. The request mandates that SpaceX retain communications between Musk, its executives, and officials at the White House and Pentagon since September 1, confirm compliance by November 30, and respond to specific inquiries.

The convergence of capital, media, and political power has turned into a storm—one that has now reached Musk directly.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881808214742170/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.