NVIDIA Board of Directors has announced that Jensen Huang has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately.
Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA, has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer.
The leadership change follows days of speculation over Huang’s position after reports emerged about his personal relationships and possible links of one of the women to a foreign intelligence operation.
Nvidia’s board had said it would investigate reports that Huang may have been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The inquiry followed allegations concerning his relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese national employed by Singapore-based technology company Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer. US officials reportedly suspected she had links to Chinese intelligence. The Financial Times reported that officials believed the relationship was romantic.
Separately, The New York Times reported that Huang had an affair with an executive who reports to him. Huang on Sunday acknowledged having an extramarital affair, without identifying the individual, and apologised to his family and colleagues.
The developments have cast a shadow over the career of Huang, who founded Nvidia in 1993 and helped drive the global artificial intelligence boom. The company's chips have become central to the infrastructure powering AI development, placing Nvidia at the forefront of the industry's expansion.
Search for new CEO
Kress will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer while serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer until a permanent successor has been named. The board is initiating a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer and will consider internal and external candidates.
Kress has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA since joining the company in September 2013. During her tenure, she has led the company’s finance organisation and has played a key role in NVIDIA’s growth and evolution, the company said.
The Board of Directors appointed Harvey C Jones as its first-ever Chair of the Board. Jones has been an entrepreneur, technology executive, and active venture investor for over 30 years, including serving as Chief Executive Officer 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,” said Harvey Jones, Chair of the NVIDIA Board of Directors.
“She is supported by an experienced leadership team that has been instrumental in executing NVIDIA’s strategy and advancing its technology roadmap. The Board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team, and we expect the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.”
“NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years,” said Kress. “We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead. Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.”
NVIDIA said Jensen’s contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry, it said.
