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Jensen Huang has officially stepped down from his role as CEO of Nvidia, with Colette Kress, who has served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer for several years, taking over the position. The chipmaker’s board of directors announced that Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013, has been appointed as interim CEO following Huang’s resignation amid a scandal involving his extramarital affair with a Chinese businesswoman, who is reportedly considered an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security by US authorities.
Leadership Transition at Nvidia
Harvey Jones, the newly appointed chair of Nvidia’s board, expressed in a statement that Kress “has played a crucial role in guiding Nvidia through an extraordinary period of growth, possessing deep knowledge of our business, customers, operations, and financial situation.” He added that Kress will be supported by an experienced management team, and the board has complete confidence in her leadership.
Kress was viewed as a natural choice for the role following Huang’s departure, according to various technology executives and industry analysts closely monitoring Nvidia. Her extensive tenure at the company, her credibility on Wall Street and throughout the tech sector, and perhaps most importantly, her profound understanding of Nvidia’s operations and finances, made her a standout candidate.
A former Nvidia executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, remarked, “She has an iron will, is highly professional, and incredibly intelligent. She does not tolerate nonsense. Yet, she is also kind and courteous. It is clear that she has a keen sense of how Jensen thinks.”
Confidence in Kress’s Leadership
Patrick Moorhead, founder and chief analyst at Moor Insights & Strategies, who has been observing the chip sector for decades, stated: “Colette is the logical choice. She enjoys credibility among investors because she is unafraid to tackle tough questions.” Moorhead went on to point out that Kress has taken on a role that extends far beyond that of a typical CFO focused solely on numbers. “In my conversations with her, she delves into the product roadmap, from rack-scale systems to networking and software,” he added.
The Nvidia board announced on Sunday that an independent investigation into Huang’s activities would be initiated following a report revealing his relationship with Alice Huang, a woman suspected by US authorities of being a Chinese spy. Reports suggested that Huang discreetly engaged a crisis management firm last year to handle matters related to his personal life. By October 2025, the firm was already aware of all press inquiries related to Huang at Nvidia, coinciding with the New York Times report that authorities were investigating whether a company linked to Alice Huang assisted Chinese firms in evading US chip export controls.
Kress’s Background and Experience
While Huang has long been the public face of Nvidia, Kress has managed the company’s relationship with Wall Street. During earnings calls, she typically elaborates on Nvidia’s financial performance, customer demand, supply constraints, and other key indicators.
“One of the things we do not focus on is stock price. We concentrate on our investors and how we wish to innovate,” Kress stated in an interview with the Israeli economic newspaper Globes in 2023.
Prior to joining Nvidia, Kress held various financial positions at Microsoft, Cisco, and Texas Instruments over two decades. Huang personally recruited her in 2013, when Nvidia was still primarily known for its gaming graphics cards. He outlined his vision for the future of the company, explaining how Nvidia could become a significant provider of computing infrastructure for AI.
The Challenges Ahead for Nvidia
Among other potential successors to Huang were Ian Buck, a Nvidia veteran with over 20 years of experience who developed the company’s software platform, CUDA, and currently oversees its high-performance computing business, and Jeff Fisher, who joined Nvidia in 1994 as head of software sales and later served as senior vice president of its GeForce unit, directing Nvidia’s strategy for bringing GPUs to market.
However, Nvidia’s unusual corporate structure has long meant that dozens of executives reported directly to Huang. The company lacks a traditional Chief Operating Officer, and sources have indicated that even executive vice presidents do not have direct control over budgets. As a result, few people within the organisation possess the same level of financial acumen as Kress.
The former Nvidia executive mentioned that although Kress is extraordinarily insightful and “could assume the CEO position immediately with no need for guidance,” she does not have the same technical and engineering experience that Huang brought to the role. Furthermore, “she has avoided being in the public eye,” the individual added.
Given the intense scrutiny that Huang has faced recently, this shift in leadership style may represent a welcome temporary change for Nvidia.
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