Nvidia Says Jensen Huang Is Leaving as CEO as Company Begins Search for Successor

Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO on Thursday amid a flurry of scandals involving extramarital affairs, including an alleged Chinese spy. Company CFO Colette Kress will be the interim 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,” the company added.

“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,” Kress said when reacting to the development.

Kress has held the position since September 2013 and regularly represents Nvidia during earnings calls and investor conferences. She previously held senior finance positions at Microsoft, Cisco and Texas Instruments and has helped oversee Nvidia’s finances through the rapid expansion of its data-center business.

Her experience is primarily in finance rather than chip design or engineering, although she is among the company’s longest-serving senior executives.

Huang will leave the company he co-founded 33 years ago and has become a market behemoth worth $4 trillion. The company’s stock plummeted further after the news, plunging more than 10%.

Huang had admitted to an affair with Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese spy, on Sunday, apologizing to his family. China has denied the claims.

As the FBI opened a probe on the matter, Huang sought to continue with his daily activities at the company. But on Wednesday, The New York Times detailed that Huang had another affair with Kimberly Powell, vice president of health care at the company. She reported to Huang.

Huang, 63, oversaw Nvidia’s strategy, product development and relationships with major technology customers. The company has become particularly important as demand for AI chips has surged among companies building data centers.

Unlike many large corporations, Nvidia operates with a relatively flat management structure, giving Huang direct access to senior technical executives rather than relying on multiple layers of management.

During a March 2026 appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Huang said more than 60 executives report directly to him, including specialists working on memory, networking, graphics processors and central processing units.

Huang also owns approximately 3.6% of Nvidia, making him one of its largest individual shareholders. He does not, however, hold special voting shares that would give him independent control over board decisions.