Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO after 33 years, CFO takes over

Jensen Huang has resigned as Nvidia’s president and CEO after leading the company for 33 years. The chipmaker has appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim chief executive while its board searches for a permanent successor. Huang has also resigned from Nvidia’s board, effective immediately.

Nvidia announced the leadership change on November 12. Kress will continue in her role as executive vice president and CFO while serving as interim chief executive. The board said it will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent position.

Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 and has led its finance organization for more than 13 years. Before that, she spent nearly 25 years in financial roles at major technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.

Nvidia’s board has also appointed Harvey C. Jones as the company’s first-ever chair of the board. Jones has more than 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship, technology-company management, and venture investing. He previously served as CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys.

Nvidia said it expects business operations, customer commitments, and product-release plans to continue without disruption. Jones said the board has full confidence in Kress and the existing management team. Kress said Nvidia will continue pursuing its strategy in accelerated computing and artificial intelligence.

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and spent the next 33 years turning it into one of the world’s most influential technology companies. The board thanked him for his contribution to Nvidia and the wider technology industry.

The resignation comes amid reports about Huang’s personal relationships and concerns over possible foreign intelligence involvement. Earlier this month, Huang acknowledged an extramarital relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data-center company Megaspeed. US intelligence officials reportedly suspect Alice Huang (they share the same last name) of links to China’s Ministry of State Security, and Nvidia’s board launched an independent investigation into whether Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort.

Separately, The New York Times reported on November 11 that Huang had an alleged relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, citing former employees. However, the company has not publicly identified these controversies as the reason for his departure.

Nvidia is still scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on November 17, as previously planned.