Jensen Huang has resigned as CEO of Nvidia, the company he co-founded in 1993. The resignation took effect after the Nvidia board opened an investigation into multiple extramarital affairs Huang had with a direct report and an alleged Chinese spy. Harvey Jones, the board's new and first-ever Chair, announced the departure in an internal email to employees that also named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO.
Jones said the board has asked Kress to lead Nvidia while it searches for a permanent successor, considering both internal and external candidates. He noted that Kress has served as CFO for more than 13 years and has been a key architect of Nvidia's growth and capital strategy. The board, he said, has full confidence in Kress to meet the company's commitments to shareholders, customers, partners and employees.
In the memo, Jones credited Huang with helping build Nvidia into one of the world's most consequential technology companies. He said Nvidia pioneered accelerated computing, defined the modern GPU and built the platform that powered artificial intelligence. He added that the company's strength lies in its employees, leadership team, technical strength and partner ecosystem, and that he expects it to keep growing under Kress's leadership.
Kress, in her first message to employees as interim CEO, said she believes deeply in Nvidia and its future, as well as in its employees, customers and partners. She told staff the board, executive staff and she recognize the company has been through an extraordinarily difficult period and said they are grateful for employees' resilience, professionalism and continued dedication. She said Nvidia has important work ahead building the technology behind the AI revolution and urged employees to move forward together.
The leadership change at Nvidia, a central supplier of the chips used to build and run AI systems, comes as the company continues to play a vital role in the global economy. The board's email framed the transition as a continuation of the company's existing strategy under its longtime finance chief.
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