Colette Kress named Nvidia interim CEO

Nvidia’s co-founder and CEO of 33 years, Jensen Huang, has resigned from his positions as president, CEO, and board member, effective immediately. The board announced on Thursday morning that Colette Kress, the company’s CFO and Executive Vice President, has been appointed as the interim CEO while a search for a permanent successor is conducted.

The leadership change follows reports of affairs involving Huang, including one with a woman US officials allegedly suspected of being a Chinese intelligence asset and another with a direct report at Nvidia. The company’s board stated on Sunday that it is launching an independent investigation into Huang’s activities. By October 2025, Huang had reportedly looped in a crisis communications firm to handle inquiries regarding his personal life and potential investigations into links between a company associated with Alice Huang and the evasion of US chip export controls.

Harvey Jones, the newly appointed chair of Nvidia’s board, expressed full confidence in Kress, noting her deep understanding of the company's financial position, operations, and business. Kress, 59, joined Nvidia in September 2013 after being recruited by Huang. She previously held finance roles at Texas Instruments, Microsoft, and Cisco, where she served as senior vice president and CFO of the Business Technology and Operations Finance unit.

Industry analysts, including Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategies, described Kress as a logical choice due to her credibility with investors and extensive knowledge of the company’s product road map. Although she lacks the engineering background of her predecessor, Kress has managed Nvidia’s relationship with Wall Street for over a decade. During her tenure, the company’s annual revenue grew from $4.28 billion in 2013 to $215.9 billion in fiscal 2026.

Kress holds a finance degree from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. In a statement, she said, “Nvidias 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.” She added that the company will continue its focus on accelerated computing and AI.