Jensen Huang Resigns from Nvidia, CFO Colette Kress Named Interim CEO
Nvidia’s board of directors announces the immediate resignation of Jensen Huang, co-founder and leader of the group for 33 years. CFO Colette Kress takes over as interim CEO, Harvey C. Jones becomes the first board chair, and a search for a permanent successor is underway, five days ahead of quarterly earnings.
Jensen Huang is no longer the head of Nvidia. The board of directors of the leading AI chip supplier announced on November 12, 2026, around 2:50 p.m. Paris time, that its co-founder had resigned as president, chief executive officer, and board member, effective immediately. He had led the company since founding it 33 years ago.
Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress becomes interim CEO, and the board has appointed a separate board chair for the first time: Harvey C. Jones, former head of Synopsys.
What the Press Release Says
- Departure: Jensen Huang steps down as president, CEO, and board member, with immediate effect.
- Interim: Colette Kress, executive vice president and CFO since September 2013, will handle both roles until a successor is named. She previously spent nearly 25 years in financial positions, notably at Cisco and Microsoft.
- Succession: The board is launching a search for a permanent CEO, considering both internal and external candidates.
- Governance: Harvey C. Jones, an entrepreneur and investor, former CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys, becomes the first chairman of the board in the company’s history.
- Continuity: According to Harvey Jones, the board expects operations, customer commitments, and product roadmaps to proceed “without interruption.” Third-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings remain scheduled for Tuesday, November 17.
The press release thanks Jensen Huang for his “immeasurable” contributions, but gives no reason for his departure.
The Context Reported by the Press
According to AP, NBC News, and Bloomberg, the resignation follows several days of press reports concerning the executive’s personal life: two extramarital relationships, including one with a businesswoman whom U.S. officials allegedly suspect of working for Chinese intelligence services. These suspicions have not been proven, and Nvidia made no mention of them in its announcement. According to Bloomberg, Singapore indicated it lacks sufficient evidence to prosecute the businesswoman. TechCrunch reports that the board accepted the resignation on November 11, per a regulatory filing, and that Nvidia shares dropped nearly 12% in early trading on Thursday.
Why This Matters for AI
Nvidia supplies the vast majority of chips used to train and run large models, and its CUDA software has become a de facto standard. Under Jensen Huang’s leadership, the company also grew into a major financier of the ecosystem: according to TechCrunch, at the end of its second quarter it reported $99 billion in investments and an additional $25 billion in commitments, holding stakes in OpenAI, Anthropic, and data center operators like CoreWeave and Nebius. Jensen Huang was its public face and its primary liaison with governments, particularly regarding chip export controls to China.
Our take
For Nvidia’s customers, nothing changes in the near term: chips, software, and contracts do not rely on a single signature. But the company loses the man who set its strategy single-handedly, with no heir apparent, and the arrival of a separate board chair marks a significant shift in corporate governance. Tapping a CFO well-known to Wall Street for the interim role is primarily meant to reassure the markets. The deeper questions remain open: will Nvidia continue its massive investments in the labs and data centers that buy its chips at the same pace? And who will represent its voice in Washington on export controls? The November 17 earnings call should provide the first clues. The rest of the matter, tied to the former executive’s private life and unverified suspicions, remains subject to ongoing investigations: we are sticking strictly to what is published and verified.
Sources
- Nvidia Newsroom — NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition (November 12, 2026) Primary source
- Nvidia Newsroom on X — leadership transition announcement (November 12, 2026) Primary source
- TechCrunch — Nvidia's Jensen Huang resigns, chipmaker names CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO (November 12, 2026) Secondary source
- AP — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns after his affair raises national security concerns (November 12, 2026) Secondary source
- NBC News — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns after reports of affair and extramarital relationships (November 12, 2026) Secondary source
- Bloomberg on X — Jensen Huang's departure and Colette Kress's interim role (November 12, 2026) Secondary source
- Bloomberg on X — Singapore and the investigation targeting the named businesswoman (November 12, 2026) Secondary source
A primary source comes directly from the company, lab or organization concerned. A secondary source reports the information without being its author: we flag it as such. Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.
