Jensen Huang resigned as president, chief executive officer and a director of Nvidia, effective immediately, the company announced November 12, 2026. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor.

Huang, 63, co-founded Nvidia 33 years ago, and NPR reported that the chipmaker is now valued at more than $4 trillion. The resignation follows New York Times reports of two extramarital relationships, one of them with a Megaspeed executive who U.S. officials believe was working for Chinese intelligence, according to the Times. On November 8, Huang told Nvidia employees he had been unfaithful to his wife. The company’s announcement gave no reason for the resignation.

Key Details

• Departure: Jensen Huang resigned as president, CEO and member of the Nvidia board, effective November 12, 2026, according to Nvidia.
• Interim leader: Colette Kress, Nvidia’s executive vice president and chief financial officer since 2013, is interim CEO and will remain CFO until a permanent CEO is named.
• Board chair: Harvey C. Jones, former CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys, was named Nvidia’s first-ever chair of the board.
• Investigation: Nvidia’s independent directors retained former acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on November 10, 2026.
• Next milestone: Nvidia is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on November 17, 2026.

What Nvidia Said About Jensen Huang’s Resignation

Nvidia’s board announced the leadership change in a November 12 press release. The board said it is starting a search for a permanent chief executive and will consider internal and external candidates. Colette Kress will keep her duties as chief financial officer while serving as interim CEO.

Harvey C. Jones, the newly named board chair, said in the release that “the Board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team.” Kress said in the same release, “We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI.”

The Nvidia release did not state a reason for Huang’s departure and did not mention the board’s investigation. The Wall Street Journal reported November 11 that the board was preparing to remove Huang. According to Forbes, Reuters reported that the board met late that night to decide his future. The company’s announcement describes the departure as a resignation.

What Did the Reports Say About Huang’s Relationships?

The New York Times reported on October 29, 2026 that U.S. officials had concluded Jensen Huang had a close relationship with Alice Huang, whom the Times identified as a top executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed. The two are not related. According to the Times, a memo circulated among senior U.S. officials in the spring cited intelligence that Alice Huang was an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security.

Megaspeed bought more than $4.8 billion in Nvidia chips over two years, The Associated Press reported, citing the Times. The Times reported that U.S. officials suspect Megaspeed helped smuggle restricted chips into China and that the Justice Department has taken over a federal investigation into the company. Jensen Huang told Bloomberg News in October that his dealings with Alice Huang had been “completely normal,” according to the Times.

China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the espionage allegations. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun called them “unsubstantiated” and “nothing but smears against China,” Al Jazeera reported. None of the reports reviewed for this article said Alice Huang has been charged with a crime, and none included a response from Alice Huang or Megaspeed.

Jensen Huang addressed the matter in a November 8 message to employees published on the company’s newsroom. “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did,” Huang wrote. The AP reported that the message did not name Alice Huang or address her reported ties to Beijing.

On November 11, the Times reported that Huang also had a relationship with an Nvidia vice president who reported to him. Neither Huang nor the company has publicly confirmed that report. NPR said it had not independently confirmed the Times’ reporting.

How Nvidia’s Board Handled the Investigation

Nvidia’s board announced on November 8 that a committee of independent directors, working with outside counsel, would investigate reports that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The board said it had “no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised” and said at the time that it had confidence in Huang.

On November 10, the independent directors retained Joon H. Kim, a former acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The company has not said whether the investigation will continue now that Huang has resigned.

Nvidia also faces a shareholder class-action lawsuit, Al Jazeera reported. The Huntsville Commerce Report has not reviewed the complaint.

Congress, the White House and Nvidia Stock

Three House Republican committee chairs, Reps. John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford, asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on November 18, according to Al Jazeera and Forbes. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Huang and Nvidia’s board “owe Congress answers,” Al Jazeera reported. The reports reviewed did not say whether the briefing request still stands.

President Donald Trump said of Huang, “I think he’s an honorable guy,” the AP reported November 8. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who the Times reported oversaw drafting of the memo, told the AP, “I just can’t comment because of the nature of it.”

Nvidia shares closed at $173.73 on November 11, up 2.92%, then fell 8.61% to $158.78 in after-hours trading following the Journal report, according to Forbes. Al Jazeera reported that the stock fell more than 10% in premarket trading November 12 and that the company had lost more than $600 billion in market value during the week.

Who Could Lead Nvidia Next?

Colette Kress joined Nvidia as executive vice president and CFO in September 2013. Before joining the company, Kress was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Cisco’s Business Technology and Operations Finance organization and spent 13 years at Microsoft, according to Nvidia’s 2013 announcement of her hiring.

Jensen Huang said in an October Bloomberg interview, as reported by NPR, “I’m really hoping that the next CEO of the company is already at the company.” Stephen Witt, author of “The Thinking Machine,” told NPR, “There’s no obvious replacement.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Jensen Huang resign as Nvidia CEO?

Nvidia’s November 12, 2026 announcement did not give a reason for Jensen Huang’s resignation. The resignation followed New York Times reports of two extramarital relationships, one with a Megaspeed executive U.S. officials believe worked for Chinese intelligence, and a Wall Street Journal report that the Nvidia board was preparing to remove Huang.

Who is Nvidia’s interim CEO?

Colette Kress is Nvidia’s interim chief executive officer, the company announced November 12, 2026. Kress has been Nvidia’s executive vice president and chief financial officer since 2013 and will keep the CFO role until the board names a permanent CEO. Harvey C. Jones was named the board’s first chair.

What is Megaspeed, and how is it connected to Nvidia?

Megaspeed is a Singapore-based data center company that bought more than $4.8 billion in Nvidia chips over two years, according to The New York Times. The Times reported that Alice Huang, whom it identified as a top Megaspeed executive, had a close relationship with Jensen Huang and that U.S. officials believe she was a Chinese intelligence asset. China denies them.

Is Nvidia’s board investigation still open?

Nvidia has not said whether its board investigation continues after Jensen Huang’s resignation. The board opened the inquiry on November 8, 2026, into reports that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, and retained former acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim on November 10. The November 12 release did not mention it.

What Happens Next

Nvidia is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on November 17, 2026, with an earnings call at 2 p.m. Pacific time, its first under interim CEO Colette Kress. House committee chairs requested a closed-door briefing with Huang on November 18.

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