Jensen Huang has resigned as Nvidia’s president, chief executive and a board member, effective immediately, the company announced Thursday, ending his 33-year tenure leading the business he co-founded.
Nvidia named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim CEO. She will retain her finance responsibilities while the board considers candidates from inside and outside the company for the permanent position.
The announcement gave no reason for Huang’s resignation and included no statement from him. It also did not report findings from the independent investigation the board announced earlier this week.
Harvey C. Jones was appointed Nvidia’s first-ever board chair. The entrepreneur and technology investor previously served as CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys.
Departure Follows Investigation Announcement
On Nov. 8, the Nvidia board announced an independent investigation following reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside lawyers, would oversee the inquiry.
At the time, the board said it had no reason to believe U.S. national security or company secrets had been compromised. It also expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team.
In an employee email published that day, Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family and colleagues. He pledged to cooperate with the investigation and wrote that he remained committed to Nvidia.
The board’s independent members announced Nov. 10 that they had retained former acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.
Kress Takes Over Before Earnings Report
Kress joined Nvidia as executive vice president and CFO in September 2013. Before that, she spent nearly 25 years in finance positions at technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.
Jones expressed confidence in Kress and the management team. He said the board expected Nvidia to meet its customer commitments and maintain its operations and product development schedule through the transition.
“NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people,” Kress said. She pledged to build on Huang’s work and keep the company focused on customers, partners, developers and shareholders.
The board thanked Huang for his contributions to Nvidia and the technology industry.
Huang co-founded Nvidia with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem on April 5, 1993, according to the company’s corporate history. The business began with a focus on 3D graphics for gaming and multimedia.
Nvidia will release its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results Tuesday, Nov. 17, at approximately 1:20 p.m. Pacific time. Its earnings call remains scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific.