Flowers, candles left outside Nvidia HQ become odd sight after Jensen Huang resigns

Bouquets of flowers and a candle appeared outside Nvidia’s headquarters in Santa Clara on Thursday, creating an oddly memorial-like scene just hours after CEO Jensen Huang resigned from the company.

Photos and videos showed the flowers placed beside the Nvidia sign outside the chipmaker’s headquarters, while one person was also seen leaving a white candle at the site.

The images came after Huang, 63, resigned from the company he co-founded in 1993. His departure followed reports of multiple extramarital affairs, including allegations involving a Chinese businesswoman and a senior Nvidia executive. Nvidia’s board had also opened an investigation following the revelations.

The flowers, however, made the dramatic leadership shake-up look almost like a funeral for Nvidia itself.

Social media users were quick to poke fun at the sight. Several said that the flowers made it look as though Nvidia had died rather than its CEO resigning, while others questioned why anyone would leave a floral tribute outside a technology company's headquarters.

The unusual display came as Nvidia itself was dealing with a major upheaval. Huang’s resignation sent the company into a leadership transition, with CFO Colette Kress named interim CEO while the board began searching for a permanent successor.

Huang’s exit also came after a turbulent week. He had acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in an internal memo, while reports subsequently surfaced about another alleged relationship with Nvidia vice president Kimberly Powell. The earlier allegations involving Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman, had also brought scrutiny over claims that US authorities suspected her of links to Chinese intelligence, allegations Beijing denied.

The scandal had already weighed on Nvidia shares, with the company facing a broader period of uncertainty despite its central role in the global AI boom.

Reuters reported that Huang’s resignation risked creating further uncertainty for the roughly $4 trillion company and the wider AI ecosystem built around its chips.

Still, outside Nvidia’s headquarters, it was the flowers, rather than the boardroom drama, that caught the internet’s attention.- Ends