Key facts
- Nvidia named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim CEO while it searches for a permanent successor.
- The board is considering internal and external candidates, including Ian Buck and Arm chief Rene Haas, per the report.
- Huang, 63, oversaw about 60 direct reports and had forged close ties with President Donald Trump.
- Huang's investments spanned AI cloud providers such as CoreWeave and Nebius and suppliers to the biggest labs.
- Dan Sheehan of Telos Wealth Advisors said the bigger concern is the next decade, not the next few quarters.
- Bob O'Donnell of TECHnalysis Research said it will be very challenging to find a single person to replace Huang.
Nvidia announced on November 12, 2026, that Jensen Huang was out as CEO, about 42 minutes before the market open, and named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim CEO while it searches for a permanent successor, according to Reuters.
The exit followed reports that Huang had an affair with a Chinese businesswoman whom US authorities identified as a spy for Beijing. Nvidia's board launched an investigation, and Huang apologized: "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry." The crisis deepened after the New York Times reported Huang had a second affair, with an employee who directly reported to him. The board met later and announced his exit on Thursday.
Huang, 63, had run the roughly $4 trillion chip company with a hands-on approach, overseeing some 60 direct reports. He forged close ties with President Donald Trump and helped shape US chip export policy, and his investments spanned AI cloud providers such as CoreWeave and Nebius and suppliers to the biggest labs.
Nvidia is considering internal and external candidates, including Ian Buck, who manages hardware and software products as head of product for hyperscale AI, and Arm chief Rene Haas, Reuters reported. Analysts said any successor will need technical expertise and deep ties across the industry and in Washington, where Democrats now control both houses of Congress following a midterm sweep that included campaigns against data centers.
Dan Sheehan, director of portfolio management at Telos Wealth Advisors, said: "The bigger concern for me is not the next few quarters but the next decade." Bob O'Donnell, president and chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, said it will be very challenging to find a single person to replace Huang.