Nvidia has announced that its co-founder and long-serving CEO Jensen Huang has resigned with immediate effect, ending his 33-year leadership of the company that has become a dominant force in artificial intelligence (AI).
The surprise departure comes amid growing controversy surrounding Huang’s personal relationships, including reports of an affair with a woman suspected by US intelligence officials of spying for China.
In an official statement, Nvidia confirmed that Huang has stepped down as President, CEO and a member of its board of directors.
The company has appointed its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Colette Kress, as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement.
Jensen Huang steps down after 33 years
Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has led the company since its inception. Under his leadership, Nvidia transformed from a graphics chipmaker best known for its GeForce GPUs into one of the world’s most valuable companies, driven by the growing demand for AI computing.
His departure marks a significant leadership change for a company that has played a central role in the global AI boom.
Kress, who joined Nvidia in September 2013, will continue serving as CFO while taking on the interim CEO position. Nvidia said its board will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent role.
Meanwhile, Nvidia has appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever Chairman of the Board. Jones has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, technology executive and investor, including previous leadership roles at Synopsys.
According to Jones, Nvidia’s board remains confident in its leadership team and expects the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.
Kress said she intends to build on the foundation established by Huang over the past 33 years.
Resignation follows reports of affairs and alleged Chinese spy
The leadership change comes just days after Huang publicly admitted to being unfaithful to his wife, following media reports linking him to a woman suspected of working for Chinese intelligence.
According to Reuters, the controversy involves Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based AI infrastructure company Megaspeed International.
US intelligence officials reportedly identified Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang, as a Chinese intelligence asset. Megaspeed has also faced scrutiny over allegations involving the possible diversion of restricted Nvidia AI chips to China.
On 8 November, Jensen Huang issued an apology to Nvidia employees, acknowledging his infidelity.
In the statement, he said, “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”
Huang also acknowledged the national security concerns raised in media reports. He added that he supports an independent investigation and will cooperate fully.
In an earlier statement, Nvidia’s independent directors said they had no reason to believe that national security or the company’s confidential information had been compromised.
However, the controversy intensified on 11 November after The New York Times reported another alleged affair involving Kimberly Powell. She’s Nvidia’s Vice President of Healthcare, who reported directly to Huang.
Reuters has recently reported that Alice Huang had been barred from re-entering Singapore following an investigation into possible offences linked to Megaspeed.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said its investigation examined her suspected involvement in purchasing servers that were exported through Singapore to Malaysia. However, authorities stressed that the investigation did not involve espionage.
Although investigators found insufficient evidence to establish that Alice Huang had committed an offence, they concluded that she had provided inaccurate information to police and understated her role in Megaspeed. She was issued a stern warning and barred from re-entering Singapore.
China has denied allegations of Chinese espionage operation targeting the Nvidia CEO.
What’s next for Nvidia?
Huang’s resignation comes at a critical time for Nvidia as the company continues to expand its AI computing business.
Beyond supplying GPUs for gaming PCs, Nvidia has become a major provider of AI accelerators, networking technologies and computing platforms used by cloud providers and AI developers worldwide.
As the face of Nvidia with his signature black jacket, Huang has been closely associated with Nvidia’s technology strategy, product announcements and relationships with major industry players, making his departure a significant development for the wider technology industry.
For now, Nvidia is maintaining that its business operations and technology roadmap will continue without interruption under its existing leadership team.
The company is scheduled to announce its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on 17 November 2026 in the US. This would be one of the first opportunities for investors to hear from Nvidia’s leadership following Huang’s departure.
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