'Jensen Huang didn't do anything without her': Why insiders say Colette Kress was Nvidia's quiet power centre

Nvidia's Jensen Huang resigned on Thursday. He stepped down as president, chief executive officer and board member of the company with immediate effect. It was announced that Nvidia's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Colette Kress, was appointed interim CEO, and will lead the company until a permanent successor is named. She will also continue to hold the CFO position.

What exactly happened?

The development came after Jensen Huang had claimed that he was unfaithful to his wife. He reportedly had a close relationship with alleged Chinese spy Alice Huang. US intelligence assessments concluded that Alice had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). She was allegedly given the role of developing a close relationship with Jensen, and gathering information about Nvidia.

It was revealed that Jensen had two extramarital affairs. One with Alice Huang and another with a subordinate executive. The New York Times reported that Huang had maintained an undisclosed relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of health care.


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The company's board announced that Jensen Huang had resigned from three positions November 12, 2026. Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA, had agreed to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer. However, the board was initiating a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer.

Meanwhile, the Board of Directors appointed Harvey C Jones as its first-ever Chair of the Board.

It was said in an official press release that Jensen's contributions to NVIDIA are profound. The Board and the company thanked him for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry.

All about Colette Kress

Colette Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013. In a statement on Thursday, Kress said, "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."

Kress 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."

Dan Ives, an analyst at Yorkville Ives & Co, told CNBC that Kress is the only one internally that has this significant respect. It was claimed that "Jensen didn't do anything without her."

According to a CNBC report, Kress was described by Nvidia insiders and her former co-workers as someone who was savvy, knowledgeable, thoughtful and clear-headed.