Did Denny's Turn Its Back on Jensen Huang? Plaque Disappears From Booth Where NVIDIA Was Founded

A plaque marking the Denny's booth where NVIDIA was conceived has disappeared from a San Jose diner. Its removal was reported on Thursday, 12 November, the day NVIDIA announced Jensen Huang's resignation as president and chief executive. NBC News photographed the bare wall where it had hung. Two employees confirmed its removal, but the broadcaster did not establish who ordered it or why.

The timing is striking, but no connection has been established. Denny's has not explained the removal, and there is no public evidence linking it to Huang's departure or the allegations surrounding him.

The plaque read 'THE BOOTH THAT LAUNCHED A $1 TRILLION COMPANY.' NVIDIA's September 2023 blog post said Huang, Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem met at the booth in 1993 to discuss a chip for realistic 3D graphics. The meeting is widely seen as the company's conception, although NVIDIA's corporate history dates its founding to 5 April 1993.

'It had all the coffee you could drink and no one could chase you out,' Huang once said of the diner.

Why the Denny's Plaque Became a Symbol

The removal stands out because Denny's had embraced the link. Then chief executive Kelli Valade presented the plaque to Huang in 2023. 'Denny's has taught me so many lessons,' Huang said. The chain also used the occasion to launch a Trillion-Dollar Incubator contest, offering a $25,000 (£18,900) prize for a startup idea. In 2025, it launched a limited-edition 'NVIDIA Breakfast Bytes' dish in his honour.

Huang's first job was at a Denny's in Portland, Oregon, when he was 15. At the 2023 unveiling, he recalled working as a dishwasher, busboy and waiter. 'No one can carry more coffee cups than I can,' he said.

That $1 trillion (£756 billion) figure is now outdated. NVIDIA's market value reached about $5.77 trillion (£4.36 trillion) on 6 October 2026 before falling to about $4.01 trillion (£3.03 trillion) on 12 November, when its shares dropped 4.3 per cent.

NVIDIA's board accepted Huang's resignation on 11 November, effective immediately, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is interim CEO.

Tributes Follow Huang's Departure

NBC News reported that people left flowers, potato-chip bags and a candle outside NVIDIA's headquarters in Santa Clara. One shareholder, identified only as Chris, said: 'I'm a little bit sad. He is just a really good entrepreneur. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody's not a perfect person.'

Another shareholder, Justin, told NBC News he was 'heartbroken' and wanted to pray for Huang.

Huang's exit followed his admission to staff on 8 November that he had been unfaithful to his wife. The New York Times, citing five people who worked at NVIDIA, reported a separate affair with another executive. IBTimes UK cannot independently verify that report.

Separate reports linked him to Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on 12 November that the Justice Department had reached no conclusion on whether she was a spy, and China denies the claim. NVIDIA's board said it had no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.

Until Denny's says who took the plaque down and why, the bare wall above the booth where NVIDIA began remains unexplained.