Jensen Huang exits Nvidia after 33 years: What the company said about the shock move

In a move that would certainly send shockwaves through the tech world, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned from the company as president, chief executive officer (CEO) and a member of the company's board of directors, with immediate effect on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has been appointed as interim chief executive officer as the chip giant begins a search for a permanent successor.

Nvidia's board said it will consider both internal and external candidates for the position. Kress will continue to serve as the company's executive vice president and CFO while serving as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed.


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The company did not disclose a reason for Huang's resignation in its announcement.

Kress has served as Nvidia's executive vice president and CFO since joining the company in September 2013. During her tenure, she has led the company's finance organisation and played a key role in Nvidia's growth and evolution.

Before joining Nvidia, Kress spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at leading technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.

What Nvidia's board said

Harvey C. Jones, who has been appointed Nvidia's first-ever chair of the board, said Kress has helped lead the company through a period of “extraordinary growth” and has a deep understanding of its business, customers, operations and financial position.

The board said it has “full confidence” in Kress and the leadership team and expects Nvidia'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,” Kress said.

She added that Nvidia would continue advancing its work in accelerated computing and AI while focusing on customers, partners, developers and shareholders.

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Jensen Huang's Nvidia legacy

The board said Huang's contributions to Nvidia were “profound” and described the company as one of the world's most consequential technology companies.

“The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry,” Nvidia said.

Huang founded Nvidia and has led the company for 33 years, overseeing its transformation into a dominant player in accelerated computing and AI.

A private affair, a very public exit

Huang, 63, co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has been at the helm of the company for more than three decades. During that time, he transformed Nvidia from a graphics chipmaker into one of the biggest beneficiaries of the global artificial intelligence boom. His departure marks a major change for the company and the semiconductor industry.

Huang's exit comes amid a controversy involving Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and former senior executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, whom US intelligence agencies suspect of gathering information for Beijing. Huang admitted to having an extramarital relationship with her and apologised to his wife, children and Nvidia employees.

The revelations prompted Nvidia's board to launch an independent investigation into reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. The company, however, said its board had no reason to believe that US national security or Nvidia's confidential information had been compromised. The affair finally cost Huang to step down from his position from the company.