Newshot After 黄仁勋 Steps Down, New 英伟达 CEO Faces the Challenge of Rebuilding Employee Trust
IT之家 November 15 news, according to Business Insider, at an NBA tech summit last year, then-英伟达 CEO 黄仁勋 talked about his management style, saying the company had always adhered to an open and transparent way of communicating internally.
"I spend all my time on being transparent," 黄仁勋 said at the time. He had long been praised for leading 英伟达 to remarkable growth.
Now, however, reports about 黄仁勋's extramarital affairs have exposed a possible vast gap between the principle of candor he proclaimed and his private behavior. According to reports, 黄仁勋 is alleged to have had extramarital affairs with a direct subordinate at the company, another employee, and a client.
After 黄仁勋's departure, 英伟达's next CEO will face an arduous task: winning back the trust of tens of thousands of employees. As one of the core companies in the current AI boom, 英伟达's internal management stability is drawing close attention.
Kim 斯科特 (Kim Scott), a former executive at Apple and Google and now co-founder of the executive coaching firm Radical Candor, said: "If a company's CEO develops a romantic relationship with an employee inside the company, it can erode trust among employees and breed cynicism."
Getting employees to refocus on work
黄仁勋 has long adopted a management model with a flat top management structure, and believes this arrangement helps the company make and execute decisions quickly. He typically works in a conference room rather than using a separate office, and has as many as dozens of subordinates reporting directly to him.
IT之家 noted that 英伟达 had not previously publicly disclosed a succession plan. Observers in the corporate executive field point out that the enormous personal influence of a successful tech founder, combined with few layers in the company's top management structure, may leave the company lacking a sufficient talent pool to succeed to the top leadership position.
After 黄仁勋's departure on Wednesday, 英伟达 appointed Chief Financial Officer 科莱特 · 克雷斯 (Colette Kress) as interim CEO and launched a search for a formal successor, with candidates including both internal company personnel and external candidates.
Whether it is 克雷斯 or the CEO who ultimately formally takes over, both will face a series of challenges.
斯科特 said: "The first thing employees want to know is: is the company still in reliable hands? Can it continue to develop well in the future?"
She pointed out that many 英伟达 employees hold unvested stock options that may be worth millions of dollars, so the company's future development and management stability are directly tied to employees' vital interests.
英伟达's new leader not only needs to handle the enormous public attention surrounding 黄仁勋's departure, but must also ensure the company's daily operations are not disrupted.
Katie Burke (Katie Burke), Chief Operating Officer of the legal AI company Harvey, said: "It's really very difficult to do both things well at the same time: keeping employees focused on the work at hand while not pretending that the storm outside the company doesn't exist at all."
Employees need to go through an "emotional recovery period"
In such a situation, repairing corporate culture and employee trust cannot happen overnight.
Alison Fragale, an organizational psychologist and professor of organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said: "Trust can be destroyed in a very short time, but rebuilding trust requires long-term, sustained effort."
The chip giant's new leader also needs to help employees cope with the shock of the scandal and gradually return to a normal working state. Fragale pointed out that this process may be especially difficult for employees who have long admired 黄仁勋 and hoped he would stay on.
She said: "It's a bit like going through a process of grief and mourning."
At the same time, other employees may feel disappointed, uneasy, or even feel betrayed because of the intense attention the scandal has received.
Fragale said: "You can't pretend that employees' family members won't ask them what on earth happened."
However, Jessica Neal, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, believes that 黄仁勋's departure also provides a favorable condition for 英伟达's new leader to repair the company culture.
It at least shows that even though 黄仁勋 achieved extraordinary things, he still had to bear consequences for violating company norms.
Neal said: "One of the easiest mistakes companies make is mistaking excellent performance for a pass that allows differential treatment or even rule-breaking."
She further pointed out: "Whenever a company allows an employee special treatment because he performs well, it is actually sending a signal to everyone else about what the company truly values. Over time, these exceptions eventually become corporate culture."
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