Jensen Huang Resigns as NVIDIA CEO, Effective Immediately

Jensen Huang has resigned as president and chief executive officer of NVIDIA, the company he co-founded in 1993 and led for 33 years, with the change effective immediately. NVIDIA’s board of directors announced the transition today, and Huang is also leaving his seat on the board. The announcement doesn’t give a reason for his departure, and it doesn’t include a statement from Huang.

There has been plenty of reporting and speculation surrounding Huang’s departure, particularly after he acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife on November 8. That same day, NVIDIA announced an independent investigation into reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort, following allegations involving a businesswoman suspected by U.S. intelligence officials of working for China. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the board was preparing to remove Huang, though NVIDIA has not confirmed whether the controversy played a role in his resignation. The company has also said it has no reason to believe its secrets or U.S. national security were compromised.

Colette Kress, who has been NVIDIA’s executive vice president and chief financial officer since September 2013, has agreed to serve as interim CEO and will keep both of her current roles until a permanent successor is named. Before joining NVIDIA, Kress spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft. The board is starting its search for a permanent CEO and says it will consider both internal and external candidates. It also appointed Harvey C. Jones as chair of the board, a position NVIDIA has never had before. Jones has spent over 30 years as an entrepreneur, technology executive, and venture investor, including time as chief executive officer and executive chairman of Synopsys. “The Board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team,” said Jones, adding that NVIDIA expects its operations, customer commitments, and product roadmap to continue without interruption.

For gamers, NVIDIA is the company behind GeForce graphics cards, including the RTX 50 Series that debuted in January 2025, and its DLSS technology. When NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 5 in March, Huang described it as “the GPT moment for graphics.” I called it a step towards a bizarre gaming world at the time, because it runs the work of developers and artists through an AI model that changes how characters and materials look. NVIDIA still plans to report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results as scheduled on Tuesday, November 17, at approximately 1:20 PM Pacific (4:20 PM Eastern), with its earnings call following at 2:00 PM Pacific (5:00 PM Eastern).