Restaurant Where Nvidia Was Born Removes Commemorative Plaque After Jensen Huang's Exit

A restaurant where Jensen Huang famously founded Nvidia in 1993 has removed the plaque honouring him after the tech leader resigned as CEO following reports that he had multiple affairs. Huang, alongside his two co-founders, Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, sat in a Denny's booth 33 years ago in California and conjured up the idea of a company that would become a key cog in the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

"Denny's dedicates this booth to Nvidia. The booth that launched a $1 trillion company. Congratulations, Nvidia! Who knew that an idea started here would change the world?" read the inscription on the plaque that has since been removed.

According to a report in NBC News, only an empty patch of brick wall and chipped paint remains where the plaque hung once. Two employees confirmed it had been removed.

The plaque was presented to Huang in 2023 by Denny's CEO Kelli Valade. “This is a place where we fuel ideas. Your story is so inspiring it will continue to inspire people at Denny's,” Valade said at the time while presenting the plaque to Huang.

During the ceremony, Huang revealed that he had his first hamburger at Denny's and his first milkshake. “It had all the coffee you could drink, and no one could chase you out,” Huang told Valade, according to an Nvidia blog post about the ceremony.

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Jensen Huang's Exit

Huang ended his 33-year association with Nvidia on Thursday after pressure mounted on him over his romantic associations and personal conduct. Apart from Alice Huang, Huang allegedly had an affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of health care. Hours after his exit, a Reuters report claimed that Huang had a third intimate relationship with another unnamed Nvidia employee.

After his exit, Colette Kress was appointed as the interim CEO. She has been with the company for 13 years and will continue to serve in her current roles as Nvidia's chief financial officer and executive vice president. The board is considering internal and external candidates to replace Huang.