The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has said that Tim Cook, who was CEO of Apple until last September 1 and currently serves as executive chairman of the technology company, should take on the position of Jensen Huang as the top executive at Nvidia, after the latter’s resignation in the wake of the scandals about his infidelities.
"Now that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place: Tim Cook from Apple. A legend replaces a legend!" the resident of the White House said on his social media.
Trump’s proposal is known just a few hours after Huang’s resignation and after, days earlier, he defended the executive’s continued leadership at Nvidia, even after information came to light indicating that Huang had maintained an extramarital relationship with a purported Chinese spy.
"I haven’t talked to him about this. I just know he’s a good person, but you never know what’s going on," the U.S. president said at the beginning of the week to reporters before returning to Washington. Asked explicitly whether Huang should continue in the executive leadership of the semiconductor multinational, Trump responded in the affirmative: "That’s what I think. Oh yes, of course."
After acknowledging Jensen Huang’s connection to Alice Huang, a businesswoman who had been under the radar of U.S. intelligence services, Nvidia shares saw sharp declines on the stock exchange.
Tim Cook was at the helm of Apple for 15 years, taking over from Steve Jobs as leader of the iPhone manufacturer. During his tenure, Cook consolidated a strategy based on the smartphone as the main gateway for users to the digital environment. On April 20, he announced his departure as CEO of Apple, passing the baton to John Ternus, who assumed the position in September of this year.