Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's chief executive on Thursday, ending his 33-year tenure at the helm of the AI giant he co-founded, following revelations of two extramarital affairs, one of which allegedly involved a woman accused of spying for China.
The company's board said Huang had stepped down as president, CEO and board member with immediate effect.
Colette Kress as interim CEO, Harvey Jones as board chair
Colette Kress, who has served as Nvidia's executive vice-president and chief financial officer since joining the company in September 2013, will take over as interim CEO.
The board of directors has also appointed Harvey C Jones as its first-ever chairperson. Jones brings more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, technology executive and venture investor, including stints as CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys.
"Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position," Jones said, expressing confidence in Kress and the company's leadership team.
He added that Nvidia's operations, customer commitments and product roadmap were expected to continue without interruption.
{{/usCountry}}He added that Nvidia's operations, customer commitments and product roadmap were expected to continue without interruption.
{{/usCountry}}Kress said she was committed to building on the foundation laid by Huang over the past 33 years and continuing the company's work in accelerated computing and artificial intelligence.
"NVIDIA's strength has always come from its people," she said, adding that the company's focus would remain on serving its customers, partners, developers and shareholders.
The board also acknowledged Huang's contributions, describing Nvidia as "one of the most consequential technology companies in the world" and thanking him for his "immeasurable contributions" to the company and the industry.
Meanwhile, Nvidia said it would announce its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on November 17, as scheduled. The results will be released at approximately 1:20 pm PT, followed by an earnings call at 2 pm PT.
Also Read | Nvidia names CFO Colette Kress interim CEO after Jensen Huang's resignation
Reports of alleged affairs put pressure on Huang
Pressure had been mounting on Huang in recent days following reports that the 63-year-old, who is married, had an affair with a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US authorities of spying for Beijing.
Nvidia's board met on Wednesday to discuss his possible ouster, a person familiar with the matter said. The meeting followed reports earlier in the day that Huang had also been involved in an extramarital affair with a senior company executive who reported directly to him.
Huang's departure leaves the $4 trillion company facing uncertainty and raises questions about the future of the AI ecosystem he helped build. Nvidia has played a central role in the industry by reinvesting its growing cash reserves in cloud service providers, suppliers and some of the world's biggest research laboratories.