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Famed podcast host Lex Fridman publicly voiced his support for Jensen Huang on November 13, as Huang was embroiled in a personal relationship scandal. Fridman said bluntly that if Nvidia let Huang leave the company over this, it would be a grave mistake for the United States and all of humanity. He likened the situation to Apple firing Steve Jobs, but said the impact of Huang’s case could be even greater because AI is shaping the future course of humanity.
Lex said he had previously stayed silent out of respect for Jensen Huang’s family and the Nvidia team, and because he personally strongly disapproves of extramarital affairs. But he believes Huang is ultimately an ordinary person who can make mistakes, and that the controversies surrounding his private life should not overshadow his longstanding contributions to the technology industry and human society.
Lex: I’ve seen Jensen Huang’s kindness firsthand; he shouldn’t be defined solely by a private scandal
Lex went on to share his experiences of spending many years with Jensen Huang, saying the two had many conversations in settings without microphones or cameras. He observed that Huang treats those around him—including strangers, people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those facing hardship—with kindness, humility, and compassion, regardless of their status or whether they could offer him any benefit.
He also revealed that over the years, he had privately asked a large number of people who had worked with or knew Jensen Huang—including hundreds of engineers, CEOs, colleagues, and friends. The total may have exceeded a thousand, and he had never heard anyone speak negatively about Huang. Instead, he often heard people praise him and express their fondness for him.
Addressing the espionage suspicions raised by others, Lex emphasized that Jensen Huang is a deeply proud American. He said he was shocked by the entire affair and the widespread mass hysteria surrounding it, and argued that losing Huang would be a serious blow to America’s technological competitiveness.
At the end of his post, Lex stated plainly: “I stand with Jensen.”
Lex Fridman spent extensive time with Jensen Huang; a 90-minute video documents their trip to Taiwan
Lex spent around 90 minutes having an in-depth conversation with Jensen Huang in Taiwan and released a video documenting the trip (Visiting Taiwan w/ Jensen Huang). The two visited Computex, interacted with engineers, and went to Raohe and Ningxia night markets, where they sampled Taiwanese snacks such as oyster omelets, sweet potato balls, and pig’s blood cake.
(Jensen Huang takes an American host on a tour of Taiwan’s night markets! The promise Morris Chang made decades ago stayed with him for 30 years)
During the trip, Jensen Huang also discussed his 30-year partnership with TSMC and recalled how NVIDIA searched for a chip foundry in its early days. At the time, Huang called TSMC’s U.S. office several times but never received a response. He eventually decided to write directly to founder Morris Chang, which finally led to a meeting between them.
Huang said that he visited both UMC and TSMC back then, and both companies were willing to work with the then-small NVIDIA. What ultimately led him to choose TSMC was Morris Chang’s commitment to business integrity and long-term partnerships.
Huang recalled that Chang had promised him at the time: “Jensen, if we work together, I promise I’ll do everything I can to remove obstacles for you.” He said TSMC had kept that promise for around 30 years, emphasizing that semiconductor manufacturing is not simply about buying a product; it is a partnership that requires both sides to solve technical problems together and make a long-term commitment.
Huang even said bluntly: “Our company is built on TSMC’s platform, and it is built on Taiwan’s platform.”
Beyond industry history, Lex’s video also revealed more personal aspects of Huang that he rarely discusses publicly, including childhood memories, his regard for gamers, and his affection for Taiwan’s night-market culture. This provides additional context for Lex’s public defense of Huang on November 13: he was not merely commenting on a tech CEO, but defending the Jensen Huang he knows based on years of conversations and personal experience.
This article, Lex Fridman Defends Jensen Huang: Firing Him Would Be Like Apple Firing Steve Jobs, originally appeared at .
【Further Analysis】
【My Further Perspective】
For NVIDIA, Jensen Huang is more than just its CEO; he is the central spiritual leader and strategic architect of the entire AI industry’s evolution. Lex Fridman’s comparison of him to Steve Jobs highlights the fate of tech giants that depend heavily on a “key person.” When the personal life of a company’s founder and leader becomes engulfed in public controversy, the market often has to weigh corporate governance and ethics against the value of business execution. Amid today’s global AI race and competition for semiconductor leadership, a change in core leadership could directly undermine NVIDIA’s strategic continuity and the long-standing collaborative trust it shares with key supply-chain partners such as TSMC.
【Market Impact】
1. **NVIDIA (NVDA / U.S. stocks): Bearish in the short term; in the medium to long term, it depends on management stability.** Markets have little tolerance for controversy over an executive’s private conduct escalating into a governance crisis. If the turmoil prompts board intervention or destabilizes the balance of power, it could trigger a “key-person premium unwind” and a stock price correction. If Jensen Huang’s leadership remains secure, the impact may be limited to sentiment, while the long-term fundamentals remain bullish.
2. **TSMC (2330.TW / TSM / Taiwan and U.S. stocks): Neutral to bearish.** The article notes that NVIDIA is built on TSMC and Taiwan’s supply chain. If upheaval occurs among NVIDIA’s senior leadership, the market may worry that order fulfillment and the pace of joint technology development could be disrupted, weighing on valuations across the related supply chain in the short term.
3. **AI-themed tokens (such as FET and RENDER / cryptocurrencies): Neutral to bearish.** The AI sector in the crypto market depends heavily on narratives driven by traditional tech giants, especially NVIDIA. If a leading U.S. AI stock is thrown into turmoil for non-market reasons, related tokens in the crypto market could face a flight to safety and sell-offs.
【What to Watch】
Keep a close eye on whether NVIDIA’s board issues an official statement about the controversy surrounding Jensen Huang, how institutional investors adjust their NVDA holdings, and whether outside allegations involving espionage or politics prompt a formal investigation by the authorities.
【Risk Warning】
If a private scandal escalates into a regulatory or governance crisis, it could trigger sharp volatility driven by non-market factors. For tech companies that rely heavily on a single iconic leader, “key-person risk” can be greatly amplified when market sentiment is fragile.