Two weeks ago, Jensen Huang was the face of the AI boom. On Thursday, November 12, 2026, Nvidia’s board announced that Huang had resigned as president, CEO and director, effective immediately.
This article covers the timeline, the official statements, the leadership question and the dates to watch. Every claim comes from named reporting or company filings. We flag anything that remains alleged.
Table of Contents
Quick Facts: The Nvidia CEO Resignation
- Who resigned: Jensen Huang, ending a 33-year run as CEO.
- Who replaces him: CFO Colette Kress, as interim CEO.
- Why: Reports of an affair with a fellow executive, after Huang admitted a separate affair with a woman US intelligence officials believe is a Chinese spy.
- Next date: Nvidia reports third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, November 17.
How the Nvidia CEO Story Unfolded
The scandal moved fast. Here is the sequence.
Late October: The First Reports
In late October, reports linked Huang to Alice Huang, a woman suspected by US intelligence of being a Chinese spy. Huang pushed back. He told Bloomberg the relationship was “completely normal and not unusual” for someone dealing with Chinese customers and executives.
The board stayed quiet. Bloomberg reported that it is packed with longtime investors, partners and friends, so few directors wanted to comment.
November 6: The Financial Times Changes the Story
On Friday, November 6, the Financial Times cited US officials saying the relationship was romantic. Nvidia’s general counsel, Tim Teter, then visited Huang at home. Huang admitted the affair, and Teter told directors they had to act.
The board opened an investigation. The law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz leads it. On Sunday, Huang emailed all employees. He admitted the affair, apologized to his family and promised full cooperation.
Wednesday, November 11: The Second Report
Then came a second report. The New York Times reported that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, who heads Nvidia’s healthcare efforts. Powell reported directly to him. These are media reports, and we have not seen a public statement from either of them in the sources reviewed.
The board met late Wednesday to decide Huang’s fate. A person familiar with the matter told CNBC the board decided that night to oust him. The company announced his resignation the next day.
Inside Huang’s Final Hours
Bloomberg’s account paints a bleak picture. A person familiar with the meeting said the usually commanding executive looked drained and kept saying he didn’t care. People who spoke with him afterward described deep remorse. The Bloomberg headline quotes him calling himself “a piece of s—”.
The scandal also appeared to hurt his day-to-day work. Bloomberg reported that about 60 executives report to him. Every employee also sends him a list of top five priorities, and he normally answered almost instantly at any hour. In recent days, his replies slowed.
For a CEO famous for relentless responsiveness, a slow inbox says a lot. Chip designers measure delays in nanoseconds, and this one showed up in email.
What Nvidia Said Officially
Nvidia’s SEC filing is the most reliable source here. The board named Kress interim CEO and appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever board chair. The filing also said the board is searching for a permanent CEO and will consider internal and external candidates.
Jones said the board has full confidence in Kress and the leadership team. He also expects operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap to continue without interruption.
Market Reaction to the Nvidia CEO News
Investors reacted sharply. Nvidia stock fell more than 13% in early Thursday trading before paring some losses.
Prices move quickly after news like this. Treat this article as news coverage, not investment advice.
Who Is Colette Kress, the Interim CEO?
Kress has served as Nvidia’s chief financial officer since September 2013. She will not give up her finance job. She keeps the CFO role while serving as interim CEO. That means one person runs the company and its books during an earnings week.
Analysts expect a long interim stretch. CNBC quoted analyst Dan Ives saying Kress will likely hold the interim role for about a year. That is an analyst’s estimate, not a company announcement.
Nvidia Succession: Who Could Replace Huang?
Bloomberg reported that AMD CEO Lisa Su and Arm CEO Rene Haas are among the executives considered likely shortlist candidates. These names come from reporting, and the company has not confirmed any candidate.
Wikipedia lists Su as Huang’s cousin. Whether that helps or hurts her candidacy is anyone’s guess.
Yahoo Finance also reported that Nvidia executive Ian Buck emerged as the CEO frontrunner on prediction markets. Prediction markets show betting sentiment, not board intentions.
The bigger problem is the job itself. Bloomberg described Huang as technologist, executive, marketer, lobbyist and mascot. Nvidia never created a traditional succession plan. Fortune’s analysts framed the challenge differently. They said the question is not whether engineers can keep building chips without him.
Congress and the National Security Question
Huang’s exit does not end the story. CNBC reports that Huang has agreed to testify before Congress. Bloomberg reported that lawmakers will ask about his relationship with Alice Huang and whether it exposed sensitive information about Nvidia’s advanced chips.
Here is what the sources do and do not say:
- US intelligence officials believe Alice Huang is a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security, according to the New York Times.
- Nvidia said before his resignation that Huang “has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.”
- The reports I reviewed do not say that chip secrets leaked. Investigators and Congress will examine whether the relationship created that risk.
Key Dates to Watch
- Tuesday, November 17: Nvidia reports quarterly earnings. The call lands five days after the resignation.
- Wednesday, November 18: Bloomberg reported that Kress plans an all-hands meeting with employees.
- Coming weeks: Possible congressional testimony from Huang, plus updates from the Wachtell investigation.
- Ongoing: The search for a permanent CEO.
Conclusion
Huang built Nvidia into a central player in AI, and he left it in a matter of days. The facts so far are clear. He resigned on November 12; Kress runs the company for now, and the board has started a CEO search.
Several questions remain open. We still need the results of the Wachtell investigation, any congressional testimony, and the board’s final choice. We will update this article as official sources confirm new details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jensen Huang resign as Nvidia CEO?
He resigned after reports of two relationships. One involved a woman US intelligence officials believe is a Chinese spy. The other involved a fellow Nvidia executive. Huang admitted the first in an internal message to staff.
Who is the interim CEO of Nvidia?
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s CFO, serves as interim CEO until the board names a permanent successor.
Who will be the next Nvidia CEO?
Nobody knows yet. The board is considering internal and external candidates. Names such as Lisa Su and Rene Haas come from press reports, not company announcements.
Will Nvidia’s chip business continue?
The board says operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap continue as planned. Analysts expect near-term disruption but say Nvidia’s engineering strength does not depend on one person.
