NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang has resigned as president, chief executive officer, and member of the company’s board of directors, effective immediately, bringing an abrupt end to his 33-year tenure at the helm of the world’s dominant GPU-chipmaker-turned-AI-chipmaker.
Jensen Huang Is Out
In an official press release issued just now, NVIDIA’s board announced that Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has been appointed interim CEO. Kress, who has served as Nvidia’s CFO since September 2013, will retain her finance responsibilities while the board conducts a formal search for a permanent successor across both internal and external candidates.
Huang’s exit follows days of intense corporate, political, and market turmoil triggered by revelations surrounding his personal conduct and potential national security risks.
Earlier in the week, NVIDIA’s board launched an independent investigation with outside legal counsel after reports surfaced of Huang’s romantic relationship with Alice Huang (no relation), a former executive at Singapore-based cloud firm Megaspeed whom US authorities identified as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset. US regulators have scrutinized Megaspeed – a key NVIDIA partner – over suspicions it helped divert restricted AI chips to China.
Pressure on the board reached a breaking point on Wednesday after The New York Times reported that Huang had also engaged in a romantic relationship with Kimberly Powell, NVIDIA’s vice president of healthcare, who reported directly to him. As a result of both revelations, a steep sell-off occurred, followed by shareholder lawsuits alleging a lack of leadership transparency, and calls from senior US lawmakers for deeper federal inquiries.
NVIDIA centralized leadership structure, in which Huang managed more than 60 direct reports without a clear heir apparent, leaves the chipmaker facing a pivotal governance test. In Thursday’s announcement, Kress emphasized operational continuity:
“NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years. We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead. Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.”
The company concludes its statement as follows: “Jensen’s contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry.” NVIDIA confirmed it will proceed with reporting its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results as scheduled on Tuesday, 17 November 2026.
Pokdepinion: No other way to put it – this is a historical event.
