Gulf business leaders rally behind Nvidia's Jensen Huang as board weighs his future
Gulf business figures have rallied behind Jensen Huang as Nvidia's board weighs whether to remove its co-founder and chief executive over two alleged affairs. "If he is forced to depart, it will be big loss for the world, not for America, for the world. This guy has done a great job," Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of Damac Properties, said at Bloomberg Invest in Dubai on Thursday. Saudi investor Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, founder of KBW Ventures, was more blunt.
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Gulf business figures have rallied behind Jensen Huang as Nvidia's board weighs whether to remove its co-founder and chief executive over two alleged affairs.
"If he is forced to depart, it will be big loss for the world, not for America, for the world. This guy has done a great job," Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of Damac Properties, said at Bloomberg Invest in Dubai on Thursday.
Saudi investor Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, founder of KBW Ventures, was more blunt. "If Nvidia board fires Jensen Huang, that would be the dumbest thing they've ever done," he wrote on X.
If Nvidia board fires Jensen Huang, that would be the dumbest thing they've ever done.
— خالد بن الوليد Khaled Alwaleed (@KhaledAlwaleed) November 12, 2026
Their comments come as the world's most valuable chip maker faces a leadership crisis. Mr Huang admitted on Sunday that he had been "unfaithful" to his wife after reports of a relationship with Alice Huang, a businesswoman whom US investigators accuse of spying for China. Nvidia's board launched an investigation into whether he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Mr Huang also had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, a senior Nvidia executive who reports to him. The Wall Street Journal reported that the board was preparing to oust him.
Nvidia shares fell about 7 per cent in pre-market trading on Thursday, as the turmoil weighed on technology stocks.
Mr Huang has close ties to the Gulf, where Nvidia's chips underpin ambitious artificial intelligence plans. He has championed "sovereign AI", the idea that countries should build their own AI infrastructure, a pitch that has resonated with governments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In July, Washington eased export rules to allow UAE companies, including G42 and Core42, to receive Nvidia's advanced chips without a licence.
The scandal has also drawn scrutiny in Washington, where House Republicans are pushing for Mr Huang to testify and lawmakers from both parties are calling for tighter controls on chip exports to China.
Nvidia has not commented on the board's deliberations.