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President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration is expected to be packed with CEOs of major companies.
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is not there – he is celebrating the Lunar New Year in Asia.
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Huang met with technology leaders and attended local celebrations in Taiwan over the weekend.
Many of Silicon Valley’s tech titans are preparing to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration today – but not Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
On Friday, Huang was in Taiwan, where he told reporters he would not attend Trump’s inauguration because he would be celebrating the Lunar New Year with his staff.
“The end-of-year party is very important for us because employees work so hard, and it is my opportunity to thank everyone,” Huang said, referring to the celebrations ahead of the Lunar New Year, which begins Jan. 29.
Huang also told reporters that he has not spoken to the incoming Trump administration but looks forward to congratulating the team.
According to local media reports, Huang attended year-end parties at Nvidia and Wistron, a Taiwanese supplier, during his visit to Taiwan.
He also hosted a lunch with technology leaders including TSMC Chairman CC Wei and Foxconn Chairman Young Liu, highlighting the key role Taiwan plays in the global technology supply chain amid geopolitical tensions with Beijing, which claims the island as its territory.
Huang’s Taiwan trip also included a visit to his regular hair salon, stops at night markets and plans for dinner at the residence of TSMC founder Morris Chang. According to local media reports, Huang left Taipei on Sunday morning and is in China.
An Nvidia spokesperson told Business Insider that it does not comment on the travel plans of its company’s executives.
Last year, Huang was also in Asia and celebrated the Lunar New Year in China.
Huang’s 55-hour visit to Taiwan sparked excitement on the island, where he was swarmed by the media and fans wanting his autograph.
Taiwan-born Huang is considered the local boy who did good and is a star in Taiwan. The phenomenon was dubbed “Jensanity.”
During a visit to the island in June, Huang received a rock star’s welcome and even autographed a woman’s breast. On Halloween, at least one Taiwanese child dressed up as Huang. His mother told BI at the time that her five-year-old son knew he was “disguised as a very remarkable person.”
Huang has also become a tech celebrity with his Memo writing style, Fashion senseAnd Organization style become topics of discussion.
Nvidia is the leading maker of AI chips – a key area in which the US and China compete. The company’s stock price has skyrocketed over the past two years.
