The Nvidia co-founder left the company’s top job immediately as its board named longtime finance chief Colette Kress interim CEO.
SANTA CLARA, CA — Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang resigned Thursday as president, chief executive officer and a member of the company’s board, ending a 33-year run at the top of the chipmaker that became a central force in the global artificial intelligence boom.
Nvidia said Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress was appointed interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor. Kress will continue handling her finance responsibilities during the transition. The board said it will consider both internal and external candidates. Huang’s departure, effective immediately, represents a major leadership change at one of the world’s most influential technology companies and comes only days after Nvidia opened an independent investigation into national security concerns raised by news reports.
The resignation followed days of scrutiny surrounding Huang’s personal relationships and questions about whether he had been targeted by foreign intelligence. Huang acknowledged in a Nov. 8 message to Nvidia employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family, colleagues, the board, partners and shareholders. He also said he would cooperate fully with the company’s independent review of national security issues. Reports have separately described another relationship involving a senior Nvidia executive. Nvidia had expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team when it announced the investigation four days before his resignation.
The company’s board said Nov. 8 that it had created an independent committee, assisted by outside counsel, to examine reports that Huang had been targeted in a foreign intelligence effort. At the time, the board said it had no reason to believe that U.S. national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised. The inquiry was expected to examine the available information. Nvidia has not announced findings from that investigation, and the resignation statement did not say that Huang had been found to have compromised company information or national security.
Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 and had served as its president, CEO and a director since the company began. Under his leadership, Nvidia grew from a graphics-chip company associated largely with video games into the dominant supplier of advanced processors used to develop and run many artificial intelligence systems. Demand for its graphics processing units helped turn Nvidia into one of the world’s most valuable publicly traded companies and made Huang one of the technology industry’s most visible executives.
Kress has served as Nvidia’s chief financial officer since 2013 and helped oversee the company’s finances through its rapid expansion. Before joining Nvidia, she held senior finance positions at Cisco and Microsoft. In announcing her interim appointment, the board said her knowledge of Nvidia’s business, customers, operations and financial position would help provide continuity while directors conduct the search for a permanent leader.
The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first chair. Nvidia said Jones has more than three decades of experience as an executive, investor and public-company director. The leadership changes separate the roles of board chair and chief executive as Nvidia enters a transition period closely watched by shareholders, customers and companies that depend on its chips and computing systems.
The immediate business impact of Huang’s exit could extend far beyond Nvidia. The company sits near the center of the AI technology supply chain, providing processors used by cloud-computing companies, research laboratories, startups and major technology firms. Nvidia has also invested in parts of the broader AI ecosystem. That reach means changes in its leadership, spending plans or business strategy could have consequences for companies that rely on continued access to Nvidia hardware and financing.
The resignation also comes as Nvidia faces growing government attention over the sale of advanced computing technology to China. U.S. officials have tightened export controls on some high-performance chips because of concerns that advanced processors could support military and intelligence applications. Huang had publicly advocated for policies that would allow Nvidia to remain competitive in the Chinese market while complying with U.S. rules. The company’s independent review was launched against that wider backdrop of national security scrutiny.
Nvidia said it expects its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption under Kress and the company’s existing leadership team. The board has not announced a timetable for choosing a permanent CEO. Nvidia is scheduled to report results for its third quarter of fiscal 2027 on Nov. 17, giving investors an early opportunity to hear from company leaders following one of the most significant management changes in Nvidia’s history.
Author note: Last updated November 12, 2026.