Nvidia's Jensen Huang accused of explosive tirades, wishing employee’s death: What happened in meetings?

New Delhi: Nvidia co-founder and former CEO Jensen Huang allegedly subjected senior executives to humiliating verbal attacks during company meetings, at times wishing death upon an employee and even throwing a water bottle at a senior executive, according to a report by the New York Post.

The allegations paint a different picture of the 63-year-old billionaire, whose public image has often been associated with his trademark black leather jackets, humble beginnings and accounts of his early days washing dishes and cleaning toilets.

According to sources familiar with Nvidia's internal affairs cited by the newspaper, Huang frequently lost his temper during lengthy meetings, reprimanding senior employees in front of their colleagues and creating an atmosphere in which executives feared being publicly humiliated.

One particularly disturbing incident reportedly occurred in February, during a closed-door meeting attended by more than 30 Nvidia executives. Huang targeted Jay Puri, who was then the company's executive vice president of worldwide field operations.

"I hope you get the flu and I hope it gets worse," Huang reportedly told Puri before adding, "I hope you die and put us all out of our misery."

Puri, who oversaw Nvidia's sales and business development operations, remained silent during the confrontation. He has since moved into a senior adviser role at the company.

A source familiar with the incident told the New York Post that Huang's habit of shouting at employees was well known, but his remarks to Puri left those present shocked.

"It's very typical for Jensen to yell at people, but when he said that specific thing to Jay, it was extremely tense and quiet," the source said.
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Water bottle allegedly thrown at senior executive

The February confrontation was not an isolated incident. The newspaper detailed several other instances in which Huang lost his temper with senior employees during company meetings.

During a three-hour meeting in 2025, Huang reportedly berated a senior sales executive in front of around 40 employees, telling the person, "You don't know d*ck about my business."

In another incident, Huang confronted a senior executive attending a meeting with him for the first time.

"Are you smirking at me? I see nothing but dead faces ... Get out!" he reportedly shouted before asking the executive to leave the room.

The report also described an incident at Nvidia's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in which Huang threw a water bottle at a senior executive during a meeting.

His reported confrontations were not limited to employees. Huang also criticised a group of technology CEOs who were customers of Nvidia during a conference in Berlin.

He reportedly narrated the story of a Japanese soup seller who refused to serve a customer a second bowl to ensure there was enough food for others waiting in line.

"He's a better businessperson than all of you," Huang told the executives, adding that they were not establishing the value of his products.
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Biographer describes another side of Huang

Stephen Witt, author of ‘The Thinking Machine’, a biography of Huang, has also written about the former CEO's difficult management style in an article for The New York Times.

Witt said Huang often presented himself as a humble leader, recalling his early experiences as a dishwasher and regularly praising employees. However, the biographer argued that this public image concealed an intolerance for disagreement.

"He had little tolerance for disagreement and almost no capacity for open discourse," Witt wrote, adding that even minor disagreements could trigger angry outbursts.

The allegations about Huang's workplace conduct have emerged amid reports surrounding his departure as Nvidia CEO and claims about his extramarital relationships. Huang had acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and apologised for disappointing his family and the company.

Reports have also linked him to relationships with multiple women, including Nvidia vice president of healthcare Kimberly Powell and Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who has allegedly been linked to Chinese intelligence.