US President Donald Trump on Thursday, local time, reacted to the controversy surrounding former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, describing the developments as a "horrible thing" and saying it was "so sad to see happen". His remarks came hours after the chipmaking giant announced that its co-founder had stepped down from the position. Speaking in an interview with Salem News Channel, Trump raised Huang while discussing Chinese espionage and the growing significance of artificial intelligence.

The resignation followed mounting scrutiny over reports of alleged extramarital relationships with two women. The Wall Street Journal reported that one of them, Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman, was the woman referred to in a letter Huang sent to Nvidia employees, in which he acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and apologised for violating her trust. US intelligence officials reportedly suspect her of having links to Chinese intelligence services. The New York Times separately reported that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reports to him, citing five people who had worked at the company. The allegations have also raised questions about Nvidia's workplace policies, which call on employees to avoid personal relationships that could create conflicts of interest.S1

The company's board announced that Huang had stepped down after 33 years at the company he co-founded in 1993. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will assume the role of interim CEO while Nvidia looks for a permanent successor. Trump weighed in on the succession question in a post on Truth Social, praising Huang's contribution to Nvidia and suggesting that Apple Executive Chairman and former CEO Tim Cook should take the role.S1

In the same interview, Trump spoke about artificial intelligence, referring to it as "super intelligence" and stressing its growing importance. He also repeated his claim that his understanding of the technology was influenced by an uncle who taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.S1