“Maybe they’ll bring him back,” said Ray Wang, “the way Apple brought back Steve Jobs.”
When the news broke in Taiwan on Thursday night that Jensen Huang had resigned as Nvidia’s chief executive, Wang was too upset to sleep, drinking a whole bottle of red wine and praying for Huang, according to the New York Times.
Wang, a hairstylist who has cut Huang’s hair for nearly a decade, watched it change from salt-and-pepper to silver. Huang has many well-wishers like him on the island, where he enjoys a godlike status after being born there before moving to the United States at age 9.
Fans have routinely mobbed Huang at night markets and lined up for autographs during his visits. Restaurants where he has eaten hang his photo Hollywood-celebrity style, celebrating him as the “pride of Taiwan” and the “people’s dad.”
The frenzy around his visits earned the local nickname “Jensanity,” modeled after the “Linsanity” that followed professional basketball player Jeremy Lin. Huang co-founded Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) in 1993, transforming it into one of the world’s most valuable corporations through advanced artificial intelligence chips.
Over the decades, Huang made Nvidia’s ties to Taiwan deeply personal. Taiwan hosts Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), the premier chip maker producing roughly 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors.
TSMC remains the primary engine driving Taiwan’s economy, which is projected to grow around 12 percent this year. As TSMC’s biggest customer, Nvidia anchors the island’s core manufacturing ecosystem, though local market reactions to the news are not detailed in the sources.
| Metric | Taiwan Economy / TSMC | Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Chip Share | Produces ~90% globally | Primary TSMC customer |
| Projected Growth | ~12% economic growth | AI hardware leader |
| Leadership Event | Regional supply chain anchor | Jensen Huang resignation |
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
