Jensen Huang Resigns at NVIDIA; CFO Colette Kress Named Interim CEO

Jensen Huang has resigned as NVIDIA’s president, chief executive officer and a member of its board of directors, effective immediately, the company announced Thursday. The board named Colette Kress, NVIDIA’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, as interim CEO.

Kress will hold both roles until a permanent successor is named. The board said it is starting a search and will consider internal and external candidates.

The announcement gave no reason for Huang’s departure and no timeline for choosing a permanent CEO. NVIDIA built its position in accelerated computing and AI under Huang, who co-founded the company in 1993. Kress, in her statement, referred to “the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years.”

Background: An Investigation Announced Days Earlier

The resignation follows an investigation the board disclosed on November 8. NVIDIA said it was acting “in light of recent reporting” that Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. At the time, the board said it had no reason to believe national security or NVIDIA’s secrets were compromised, that Huang supported the review, and that it had confidence in him.

On November 10, the board’s independent members said they had retained Joon H. Kim, a former acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.

Thursday’s announcement does not mention the investigation or say whether it is connected to Huang’s departure.

A First Chair For The Board

Alongside the CEO change, the board appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever chair. Jones has been an entrepreneur, technology executive and venture investor for more than 30 years, including as CEO and executive chairman of chip design software company Synopsys. NVIDIA’s board had not previously had a chair.

“Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position,” Jones said. He added that she is supported by an experienced leadership team that has been “instrumental in executing NVIDIA’s strategy and advancing its technology roadmap,” and said the board expects “the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.”

Who is Stepping In

Kress joined NVIDIA in September 2013 as executive vice president and CFO. Before that, she spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft. NVIDIA’s statement credits her with leading the company’s finance organization and playing a key role in its growth.

Kress said she is “committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years” and that NVIDIA will “continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI.”

The company thanked Huang for “his immeasurable contributions” to NVIDIA and the industry, but did not elaborate on his decision.

What to Watch

NVIDIA will report third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, November 17, at about 1:20 p.m. PT, with an earnings call at 2 p.m. PT, as previously scheduled. It will be Kress’s first call as CEO, alongside her continuing role as CFO, and likely the company’s first opportunity to address succession in public.

Two questions matter from here: whether the board names a permanent CEO quickly or lets the interim arrangement run, and whether customers and partners treat the change as a minor event. The board says the roadmap is unchanged, and investors may want to hear that from management as well.