India, Nov. 13 -- Allegations involving personal conduct, corporate governance and possible national security concerns have placed Jensen Huang under unprecedented scrutiny. NVIDIA now faces a defining test: can an institution built around one extraordinary individual survive without him?

By the time I started writing, a series of major decisions concerning a landmark company was already underway, decisions that could change the direction of the technology industry. Jensen Huang, the founding chief executive of NVIDIA, the man who helped turn graphics processors into the indispensable machinery of the artificial intelligence revolution, could be approaching the end of his 33-year reign. The unfolding boardroom drama is entirely different...