NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang resigns effective immediately; CFO Colette Kress steps in as interim CEO

NVIDIA announced today that Jensen Huang has resigned as president, chief executive officer, and board member, effective immediately. The move ends a 33-year run at the helm of the company that has become the backbone of enterprise AI infrastructure.

Colette Kress, NVIDIA’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO. She will keep her CFO role while leading the company, until a permanent successor is named. The board has launched a search and says it will consider both internal and external candidates.

The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever Chair. Jones has been an entrepreneur, technology executive, and venture investor for more than 30 years, and previously served as CEO and executive chairman of Synopsys.

A finance chief takes the wheel

Kress joined NVIDIA in September 2013 and has led its finance organization since, playing what the company describes as a key role in its growth and evolution. Before NVIDIA, she spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft.

The board’s message centers on continuity. “Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position,” said Harvey Jones, Chair of the NVIDIA Board of Directors. “She is supported by an experienced leadership team that has been instrumental in executing NVIDIA’s strategy and advancing its technology roadmap. The Board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team, and we expect the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.”

Kress struck a similar note, pointing to Huang’s legacy: “NVIDIA’s 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,” said Colette Kress, Interim CEO and CFO, NVIDIA. “We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead. Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.”

The company also thanked Huang, saying his contributions “are profound” and calling NVIDIA “one of the most consequential technology companies in the world.” It thanked him for his “immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry.”

The board has not given a timeline for naming a permanent CEO.