SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Diya TV) — Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia’s chief executive Thursday, ending a 33-year tenure at the chipmaker he co-founded. The departure followed days of board deliberations over his leadership, reports of two extramarital relationships and questions from U.S. lawmakers about whether a foreign intelligence operation targeted him.
Nvidia named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim CEO while its board searches for a permanent successor. Huang also left the board. Nvidia appointed longtime director Harvey C. Jones, a former Synopsys CEO, as board chair. The company said it expects its operations, customer commitments and product plans to continue without disruption. It did not give a reason for Huang’s departure.
The timing marks a sharp turn for a company whose board had expressed confidence in Huang just days earlier. On Nov. 8, Nvidia announced an independent investigation into reports that he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. Independent directors, working with outside counsel, will oversee the inquiry. The board said it had no reason to believe Nvidia’s secrets or U.S. national security had been compromised.
Huang acknowledged in a message to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family, colleagues and shareholders. He did not name anyone involved. He said he would cooperate with the board’s investigation and remained committed to protecting Nvidia and U.S. national security.
The security questions center on Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International. Reports citing U.S. officials alleged that she had ties to Chinese intelligence and sought to influence Nvidia’s business with China. Those allegations have not been established in court.
Singapore has drawn a distinction between the espionage claims and its investigation into Megaspeed. The government said it had not investigated Alice Huang over alleged ties to Jensen Huang or Chinese intelligence. Singaporean authorities separately investigated Megaspeed and related companies over suspected false declarations involving server shipments. They said their inquiry concerned possible commercial offenses, not espionage.
Reports also alleged that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, who reportedly worked under him. The Associated Press said it could not independently confirm that account. Nvidia has not publicly confirmed it.
The controversy reached Congress before Huang left the company. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and other Republican lawmakers sought a closed-door briefing with Huang about his contacts and Nvidia’s security safeguards. Mast said lawmakers still wanted to question him and could pursue a subpoena if necessary. Huang’s departure does not resolve those questions.
The resignation also shook markets. Nvidia shares fell as much as 14% Thursday, with losses spreading to other AI-related stocks. Investors have closely tied the company’s prospects to Huang, who steered Nvidia from graphics processors used in gaming toward chips that power AI models and data centers. Analysts warned that the leadership change could affect confidence across an industry that depends heavily on Nvidia’s technology.
Kress joined Nvidia in 2013 and previously held finance roles at Cisco, Microsoft and Texas Instruments. She will retain her CFO responsibilities as interim CEO. The board has not announced a timeline for selecting a permanent chief executive.
Huang’s departure leaves Nvidia facing a transition at the center of the global AI boom. The company must maintain its product and customer momentum while completing its internal review and responding to lawmakers’ questions. Its next leadership decisions will shape how Nvidia manages both its business and the security concerns surrounding its technology.
