What happened
Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue publicly responded on Thursday to the departure of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, calling it a 'really sad day' while pledging that Hugging Face will keep fighting for open-source AI 'harder than ever.' According to reporting cited by Mezha.net from TechCrunch, Delangue posted the remarks on X, and his message appears designed to reassure open-source advocates worried about what Huang's exit means for the AI ecosystem. Nvidia's planned $12.9 billion acquisition of Hugging Face, announced in September, is still scheduled to close in the first half of 2027, TechCrunch reported. The piece also notes that the U.S. Department of Justice began making inquiries into the deal's potential competitive impact in the AI market, as Reuters reported in October, and that requests for comment on the deal's current status, and on whether Hugging Face has spoken with Nvidia interim CEO Collette Kress, went unanswered.
Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue briefly commented on Jensen Huang's departure on Thursday, calling it a 'really sad day,' according to TechCrunch reporting cited by Mezha.net. In a post on X, Delangue wrote: 'This whole thing sucks, and I wish none of it had happened. It's a really sad day! But I want to make one thing clear: we'll keep fighting for open-source AI, harder than ever. This is too important to slow down now. Let's go!' His message suggests Huang's departure could worry open-source advocates and appears intended to reassure them.
Nvidia announced in September that it planned to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, which TechCrunch reports would be the second-largest acquisition in Nvidia's history, behind its $20 billion purchase of chipmaker Groq's assets in December 2025. The deal is still scheduled to close in the first half of 2027. Nvidia has pledged to preserve the platform's open support, though the acquisition would give the company control of a major distribution channel for AI models.
The U.S. Department of Justice began making inquiries into the deal's potential impact on competition in the AI market, as Reuters reported in October. Requests for further comment on the deal's status, and on whether Hugging Face has spoken with Nvidia's interim CEO, Collette Kress, went unanswered, according to the report. Huang was known for supporting open-source AI and open- models, raising questions about how Nvidia might approach the field without his leadership.
Why it matters
Hugging Face is one of the largest distribution channels for open- AI models, and Nvidia's $12.9 billion acquisition would put that channel under the control of a company whose departed CEO was among the technology's most prominent champions. As Nvidia CEO, Huang publicly advocated for open-weight models, publishing a policy letter in July signed by 25 companies, including Microsoft, Meta, Hugging Face, IBM and Palantir, urging the U.S. government not to over-restrict models that 'anyone can download, inspect, modify, and run on their own infrastructure.' He argued such models expand access to the AI economy, strengthen competition, and prevent customer lock-in. Delangue's public statement is the first clear signal from inside Hugging Face about how the platform intends to position itself amid the leadership upheaval at its acquirer, and it comes while the Department of Justice is already examining the deal's potential impact on competition in the AI market. Whether Nvidia's commitment to open-source AI survives Huang's departure is an open question that affects developers, enterprises, and researchers who rely on open-weight models.
Huang's advocacy for open- AI extended well beyond Hugging Face. In July, he published an AI policy letter as his first post on X, signed by 25 companies including Microsoft, Meta, Hugging Face, IBM and Palantir, urging the U.S. government not to over-restrict open-weight AI models. The letter argued that models 'anyone can download, inspect, modify, and run on their own infrastructure' make AI 'more accessible, adaptable, and widely available.'
Huang wrote that open- models expand access to the AI economy, strengthen competition, and give customers greater control because they know they will not be locked into a single provider. He also argued that 'open models strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.' His departure removes the most visible corporate champion of these positions from Nvidia's leadership.
The uncertainty lands on a deal already under regulatory attention. The Justice Department's inquiries into the acquisition's competitive impact, reported by Reuters in October, mean that both the deal's completion and Nvidia's post-acquisition posture toward open-source AI remain unresolved. Delangue's statement is a public commitment, but it does not independently confirm how the combined company will operate.
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What to watch next
Watch for any change in the deal's stated timeline of closing in the first half of 2027, and for whether Hugging Face engages with Nvidia interim CEO Collette Kress, which the company has not confirmed. Look for the Justice Department's next moves on its competition inquiries into the acquisition. Also watch whether Nvidia's open- releases, such as its Nemotron family, continue at the same pace under new leadership, and whether Delangue's pledge translates into concrete platform decisions after the deal closes.
Whether the acquisition's stated closing window of the first half of 2027 holds, and whether the Justice Department's inquiries escalate into formal action.
Whether Hugging Face confirms contact with Nvidia interim CEO Collette Kress, which the company declined to answer, and who ultimately succeeds Huang as Nvidia's permanent CEO.
Whether Nvidia's open- releases continue under new leadership, such as further expansions of its Nemotron family, which grew in October with a 120-billion- model for enterprise agents and two lightweight Bolt models that run on PCs.
Whether Delangue's pledge produces concrete policy or platform changes at Hugging Face after the deal closes.