Nvidia has named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive after co-founder Jensen Huang resigned as president, CEO and board member. The announcement was made on November 12, 2026. Harvey Jones was named the company’s first-ever chair of the board and Kress will continue as CFO while leading the company until a permanent successor is named.
Nvidia’s announcement, made in a regulatory filing and a newsroom post, said Huang had resigned with immediate effect. The board thanked him for what it called his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry. Huang had led Nvidia for more than 30 years, guiding it from a graphics chip maker into a central supplier of artificial intelligence hardware.
Kress joined Nvidia in 2013 as chief financial officer. She has been the company’s main contact with Wall Street and investors, and in that role she raised concerns about the financial effect of US restrictions on Nvidia’s sales to China. Reports say she owned about 4.44 million Nvidia shares in the company’s most recent annual report, a stake worth roughly $772 million at the time.
Her appointment keeps the finance chief in the top job while the board looks for a permanent successor. Kress will remain CFO while serving as interim chief executive, which means she will hold both roles at the same time. The company has not said how long the search will take.
Jones becomes the first person to chair Nvidia’s board, a new role that separates the chairman’s position from the chief executive’s. The board said Kress was supported by an experienced leadership team that had helped execute the company’s strategy and technology roadmap.
The company’s stated reasons are limited. The filing does not explain the resignation. Reports in the preceding days had said Huang was involved in extramarital relationships, one of which was reportedly linked to a woman US officials believed was a Chinese spy. Nvidia’s board had earlier said it saw no sign that company secrets were compromised. The company has not confirmed the details of those reports.
Nvidia’s scheduled results are the next test. The company will report third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, November 17, at about 1:20pm Pacific time, with an earnings call at 2pm Pacific, as previously planned. Investors will look for any comment on the leadership change, the company’s guidance and the outlook for its artificial intelligence chip business.
For customers and rivals, the question is whether the change affects strategy or supply. Nvidia’s products are central to much of the global AI build-out, so investors and partners will watch closely for any shift in direction. Kress’s long record as finance chief is likely to reassure those who value continuity.
The next signals will be the November 17 results, the board’s choice of a permanent chief executive and any further disclosure about the circumstances of Huang’s departure. The timing of a permanent appointment will show how quickly the board wants to settle the company’s leadership.
