- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told employees that an employee in Israel had been kidnapped by Hamas.
- The employee was part of the kidnapping video that went viral over the weekend.
An Nvidia employee in Israel was kidnapped by Hamas over the weekend during the attacks by Hamas on Israel.
On Sunday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang shared the news in a companywide email, saying the company was in touch with the affected employee's family. The employee was part of the viral video of a couple who were held hostage by a group of militants at a music festival.
"Delegate critical work to our colleagues all around the world," Huang wrote in the email, reviewed by Insider. "We will do our best to pick up your slack."
The incident shows the war in Israel can directly affect even the tech companies headquartered halfway around the world in Silicon Valley. As the businesses of these tech giants have grown, their workforces have expanded to multiple countries around the world.
Nvidia, for example, has a large presence in Israel. Since launching a small group there in 2016 for artificial-intelligence research, it has become one of Israel's largest tech employers, with over 3,000 employees across the country, according to its LinkedIn profile.
"We are very concerned about their well-being. We are in contact with his family during this difficult time," an Nvidia spokesperson said.
Since the surprise Hamas attacks on Israel over the weekend, more than 1,000 people have been killed. Israel's counteroffensive has already begun, with the country's defense minister announcing a "complete siege" of Gaza on Monday, which included cutting off electricity and the flow of food, water, and supplies.
Nvidia also canceled its AI conference in Tel Aviv next week in the wake of the intensifying conflict in the region. In his email on Sunday, Huang told employees to "stay home" and "prioritize your family."
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