Key facts
- Nvidia said Jensen Huang resigned immediately and CFO Colette Kress became interim CEO.
- Nvidia's board said on Sunday it would start an independent investigation into the matter.
- Nvidia said it hired Joon H. Kim and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.
- Musk wrote on X that hiring Huang 'would be an honor' before the resignation.
- Trump posted on Truth Social that Tim Cook should take over at Nvidia.
Nvidia said on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that Jensen Huang was resigning immediately and that Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress would take over as interim CEO, The Hill reported. The announcement followed a New York Times report that American authorities discovered Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang illegally smuggled advanced AI chips into China while developing a close relationship with the Nvidia chief.
Nvidia's board said on Sunday it would start an independent investigation into the matter. On Tuesday the company said it had hired former acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to conduct it. Huang said in a statement on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife, according to Bloomberg: "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Huang had a separate affair with an Nvidia executive who reports to him, citing five people who worked at the company. A trio of GOP lawmakers had called on Huang to appear at a closed-door briefing on November 18 on Nvidia's security protocols and his interactions with the alleged spy.
Elon Musk wrote on X on Wednesday night, before the resignation, that hiring Huang "would be an honor," responding to a ZeroHedge post that read, "Elon please hire Jensen." After the resignation, Musk replied "True words" on Thursday afternoon to an X post about replacing a founder. President Trump, in a Truth Social post, suggested former Apple CEO Tim Cook should take over, saying, "there is only one man to take his place – TIM COOK of Apple."