Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue took to social media on Thursday to respond to the news of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's departure, describing it as a "really sad day." The comment came amid the ongoing process of Nvidia's planned acquisition of Hugging Face, the widely used platform for open source AI models. Nvidia announced the deal in September, valuing it at $12.9 billion - a figure that places it as the second-largest acquisition in Nvidia's history, trailing only its $20 billion purchase of chipmaker Groq's assets in December 2025.

Delangue did not dwell on the circumstances of Huang's exit but used the moment to reaffirm his company's commitment to open source artificial intelligence. In a post on X, he 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!"

The statement carries weight beyond its surface sentiment. By framing Huang's departure as something that warrants reassurance to the open source community, Delangue acknowledged an underlying concern among advocates in that space - namely, whether Nvidia, under new leadership, will maintain the same posture toward open and freely accessible AI models that Huang had championed during his tenure.

Huang's Open Source Legacy at Nvidia

Throughout his time leading Nvidia, Jensen Huang was widely regarded as one of the most prominent corporate voices in favor of open source AI and open-weight models. His public advocacy on the subject was consistent and visible, making his departure a notable moment for those who view open source development as essential to the broader AI ecosystem.

In July, Huang published what he described as his first-ever post on X, sharing an AI policy letter that he had coordinated with 25 major technology companies, including Microsoft, Meta, Hugging Face, IBM, and Palantir. The letter urged the U.S. government to avoid placing excessive restrictions on open-weight AI models - those that, as the letter put it, "anyone can download, inspect, modify, and run on their own infrastructure." The signatories argued that such models are a critical component of the AI ecosystem because they make the technology more accessible, adaptable, and widely available.

In the same post, Huang outlined several reasons why open-weight models matter from both an economic and strategic standpoint. He argued that they broaden participation in the AI economy, foster greater competition, and give end users more autonomy - since access to open models means businesses are not forced into dependency on a single provider. He also wrote that "open models strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty," framing openness not just as a commercial preference but as a matter of national interest.

Regulatory Scrutiny of the Hugging Face Deal

Nvidia's acquisition of Hugging Face has not proceeded without scrutiny. Following the announcement of the deal, the U.S. Department of Justice began making inquiries into its potential impact on competition within the AI sector. The concern, as reported at the time, centered on the fact that Hugging Face serves as one of the most important distribution channels for AI models globally. Allowing a major chip manufacturer to control that infrastructure raised questions about whether it could tilt the competitive landscape in Nvidia's favor.

Nvidia responded to those concerns by pledging that Hugging Face would continue to operate as an open platform. However, critics noted that ownership and stated intentions do not always align over time, particularly as corporate priorities shift. The acquisition is still on track to close in the first half of 2027. As of publication, neither Hugging Face nor Nvidia had responded to requests for comment on the current status of the deal or whether Delangue's team had held discussions with Nvidia's interim CEO, Colette Kress, following Huang's exit.

Nvidia's Broader Open Source Investments

Huang's commitment to open source AI extended well beyond the Hugging Face transaction. In August, Nvidia announced a $6 billion investment in Poolside, a coding-focused AI startup, as part of a broader effort to build out an open AI ecosystem within the United States. The move was framed in part as a competitive response to the rise of Chinese AI companies such as DeepSeek and Kimi K3, both of which have gained significant traction in the global AI market.

Around the same period, Nvidia expanded its Nemotron lineup of open-weight models. The additions included a large 120-billion-parameter model designed for enterprise-grade AI agents, as well as two new lightweight models under the Bolt branding, which are optimized to run directly on personal computers rather than requiring cloud infrastructure. The Nemotron expansions were consistent with Nvidia's stated goal of making capable AI models available across a wider range of hardware environments.

Huang also used high-profile public appearances to promote open source AI to broader audiences. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January of this year, he devoted part of his keynote address to the topic, telling attendees that open source models have "really revolutionized artificial intelligence." The remarks were notable for their venue - CES draws a wide audience of consumers, manufacturers, and press, making it an unusual but deliberate platform for advocating a position that is often debated within more specialized technical and policy circles.

What Comes Next for Open Source AI at Nvidia

The combination of Huang's departure, the pending acquisition of Hugging Face, and the ongoing regulatory review creates a period of genuine uncertainty for those who have relied on Nvidia's leadership as a signal of institutional support for open source AI development. Delangue's public statement suggests he is aware of that uncertainty and is actively trying to address it - both to reassure the Hugging Face community and to signal that the platform's mission will not be subordinated to Nvidia's corporate interests, regardless of who leads the chipmaker.

Whether that reassurance proves sufficient will likely depend on how Nvidia's new leadership approaches the open source question in the months ahead, and whether the commitments made during the acquisition process are upheld once the deal formally closes. For now, Delangue's message is clear: Hugging Face intends to remain a committed advocate for open source AI, and the change at the top of Nvidia will not alter that position.