Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO, and Colette Kress takes over immediately
Jensen Huang has resigned as Nvidia’s president, chief executive and a member of its board, effective immediately. Chief financial officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent successor.
Nvidia announced the leadership change on November 12. Kress will remain executive vice president and CFO while taking on the interim chief executive role, and the board says it will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent job.
The company also named Harvey C. Jones as its first chair of the board. Huang’s resignation brings an immediate change at the top of the company he co-founded in 1993 and led for more than three decades.
Huang speaking at Nvidia’s GTC Berlin keynote in October 2026. Image: NVIDIA
Colette Kress will lead Nvidia during the search
Kress joined Nvidia as executive vice president and chief financial officer in September 2013. Before that, the company says, she worked in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft.
Her interim appointment is not the same as a permanent succession decision. Nvidia says the board is beginning a search and has not announced who will take the role on a lasting basis.
Jones, the new board chair, said the company expects its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption. That is the board’s expectation for the transition, rather than evidence that a change of leadership cannot affect future decisions.
Nvidia also says its fiscal 2027 third-quarter results remain scheduled for November 17 at approximately 1:20 p.m. Pacific time, followed by an earnings call at 2 p.m. Pacific. Those are company-announced times for the results and call.
Nvidia’s GTC Berlin keynote in October 2026. Image: NVIDIA
The board investigation remains separate
On November 8, Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation into reports 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 secrets were compromised.
The investigation followed reports about Huang’s relationship with a business executive whom US officials suspected of links to Chinese intelligence, according to Reuters. Those reported suspicions are not a finding that secrets were disclosed.
In a separate message to employees, Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and said he would cooperate with the review. On November 10, the independent directors said they had retained outside counsel to conduct it.
The company’s transition announcement confirms the resignation but does not state a reason for it or announce findings from the investigation. It follows reports that the board was considering Huang’s position, which we covered before the announcement. The leadership change is now confirmed.
