Nvidia has confirmed that Jensen Huang resigned as president, chief executive officer and board member.
The company named Colette Kress, Nvidia’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, as interim CEO. Kress will keep her CFO role while the board searches for a permanent chief executive. The board said it will consider internal and external candidates in its search.
The timeline is split across two official records. Nvidia announced the transition on Nov. 12, 2026, while its Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission says the board accepted Huang’s resignation on Nov. 11, effective immediately.
Kress joined Nvidia in September 2013 and has served as chief financial officer since then. Nvidia said she previously spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft.
The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones as Nvidia’s first chair. The SEC filing says Jones has served on Nvidia’s board since 1993, while Nvidia’s announcement described him as a longtime technology executive, entrepreneur and venture investor.
Nvidia said it expects the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption. The company also said its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results are still scheduled for Nov. 17, 2026, with the earnings release expected at about 1:20 p.m. PT and the call at 2 p.m. PT.
The investigation before the resignation
The leadership change followed Nvidia’s Nov. 8 board statement that it was opening an independent investigation after recent reporting that Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.
At that time, the board said it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised, while adding that its inquiry would examine all available information.
On Nov. 10, Nvidia’s independent directors said they had retained former acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.
In a company-published message to employees on Nov. 8, Huang apologized to his family and Nvidia colleagues for being unfaithful to his wife. He also said he supported the board’s investigation and would cooperate fully.
Nvidia’s Nov. 12 transition announcement did not state that the investigation had concluded and did not disclose any findings.
Why the change matters
Huang was not a typical outside CEO. Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem. Nvidia’s biography says he served from the company’s inception as president, CEO and board member. During that time, Nvidia moved from graphics chips into accelerated computing and AI infrastructure.
For cloud providers, enterprise buyers, developers and partners already building around Nvidia hardware and software, the near-term questions are practical: who will speak for the roadmap, whether customer commitments remain stable, and how much authority Kress has during the CEO search.
The first scheduled public test comes with the Nov. 17 earnings call, where Kress may need to address both business performance and leadership continuity. Nvidia has not said whether it will discuss the CEO search or investigation during that call.
A short timeline
Nov. 8, 2026: Nvidia’s board said it was opening an independent investigation tied to recent reporting about a foreign intelligence effort. Huang also sent a company-published apology message to employees.
Nov. 10, 2026: Nvidia’s independent directors said they had retained Joon H. Kim and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.
Nov. 11, 2026: Nvidia’s board accepted Huang’s resignation, effective immediately, according to the company’s SEC filing.
Nov. 12, 2026: Nvidia publicly announced the CEO transition, named Kress interim CEO and appointed Jones as board chair.
Nov. 17, 2026: Nvidia is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results.
What remains unresolved
Nvidia has not named a permanent CEO. It has not disclosed findings from the investigation. It has not said whether Huang will remain connected to the company in an advisory or other role.
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