Musk Says Hiring Nvidia's Huang 'Would Be an Honor' as Board Weighs Ouster

Elon Musk told an X user on the 11th that hiring Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang "would be an honor" — a reply posted while Nvidia's board was meeting to discuss removing Huang from his post.

The offer, however informal, signals that Musk still rates Huang's management ability highly, even as reports tie the executive's extramarital affair to a woman suspected of links to Chinese intelligence.

What did Musk actually say?

The exchange began when a user on X wrote: "Elon, please hire Jensen." Musk answered with three words: "It would be an honor."

The comment drew attention for its timing. Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported that a board meeting to decide whether to remove Huang was under way the same day.

This was Musk's second public intervention in eight days. On the 8th, after Huang admitted the affair, Musk commented "Agreed" on a post arguing that no one could replace Huang at Nvidia.

Takeaway: Musk has now backed Huang twice, in public, while the board moves the other way.

Why do the two men need each other?

Musk and Huang connect through artificial intelligence infrastructure. At an August earnings briefing, Musk said his companies had decided to build an exclusive relationship around Nvidia going forward, and outlined plans to rely heavily on Nvidia chips for SpaceX's AI buildout.

The tie has a dollar figure attached. Nvidia holds 122.8 million shares in SpaceX, a stake worth roughly 23 trillion won, or about $15.7 billion.

Takeaway: the Musk-Huang link is not social — each side controls assets the other has committed to use.

How fast did the board turn?

Three days. On the 8th, Nvidia's board publicly expressed confidence in Huang. It said it would form an independent committee to investigate the allegations, stressed there was no basis to conclude that national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised, and added that it trusted Jensen and the management team.

By the 11th, the board had begun formal procedures to decide Huang's future, according to Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. Directors were also working with an outside search firm to identify candidates to succeed him.

Two developments drove the shift:

• Allegations that the woman involved with Huang, identified as Alice Huang, was linked to Chinese intelligence.
• Additional allegations that Huang also had an extramarital relationship with a female executive inside Nvidia.

Takeaway: a vote of confidence on the 8th became a succession search by the 11th.

What happens if Huang stays?

The controversy has moved beyond a private matter into a U.S. national security question. Some observers warn that if Huang remains in his post, political and law-enforcement scrutiny could disrupt Nvidia's normal business operations.

For Nvidia, the stakes reach beyond one CEO. The company supplies the chips that Musk has committed SpaceX's AI infrastructure to, and it holds a $15.7 billion equity position in the rocket operator. A leadership change would test both arrangements at once.

Takeaway: the board's decision will shape more than Huang's career — it touches a chip supply deal and a multibillion-dollar cross-holding.