(Al Jazeera Media Network) Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has resigned following revelations that he had two extramarital affairs.
Nvidia’s chief financial officer, Colette Kress, has taken over as interim CEO while the company looks for a permanent replacement.
The company controls an estimated 90 percent of the market for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips and is one of the world’s most valuable companies.
Huang stepped down on Thursday following several days of intense scrutiny over his personal relationships and potential national security issues.
On Sunday, Huang admitted to being unfaithful to his wife and apologised to his family and to Nvidia employees.
Huang moved to the United States from Taiwan as a child. His wife, Lori, has been with him since before he cofounded Nvidia in 1993.
Nvidia’s board initially backed Huang, saying on Sunday that it had confidence in his leadership. It also launched an independent investigation into reports that he had been targeted by Chinese intelligence.
But on Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported the board was meeting to consider whether to remove him following further revelations of a relationship with Kimberly Powell, a senior Nvidia executive who reported directly to him.
The company announced his resignation on Thursday. Huang also resigned from the board, ending his 33-year tenure as chief executive.
Nvidia did not give a reason for his departure.
“Jensen’s contributions to Nvidia are profound,” the board said in a statement, thanking him for his “immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry.”
The first reported extramarital affair involved Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based tech company Megaspeed, who is alleged to have worked for Chinese intelligence.
The allegations have raised questions about national security, particularly given Jensen Huang’s support for allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China.
Separately, The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Huang had an affair with Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reported directly to him.
This raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving a senior executive.
The controversy comes amid a debate in Washington over exporting advanced US AI chips to China.
Huang, 63, spent years campaigning against the restrictions on Nvidia chip sales to China.
In December 2025, President Donald Trump approved the export of Nvidia’s H200 chips to China, despite concerns that the technology could bolster Beijing’s AI capabilities.
The chips are about six times more powerful than the H20 models previously available to Chinese buyers.
Exports are subject to US inspections, limits on shipments, restrictions on military use and a 25 percent tariff.
Critics are concerned the technology could help China close the AI gap with the US.
The allegations raised questions about whether his personal relationships could have exposed sensitive information.
Nvidia’s board has also said it has no reason to believe national security was compromised.
Kress has served as Nvidia’s chief financial officer since September 2013 and oversaw the chipmaker’s finances during a period of growth.
During her time at Nvidia, the company’s annual revenue rose from $4.13 billion in fiscal 2014 to $215.9 billion in fiscal 2026.
Before joining Nvidia, Kress held senior finance roles at Texas Instruments, Microsoft and Cisco.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Kress is among America’s wealthiest self-made women, according to Forbes.
In a statement following her appointment, Kress said she was committed to building on the foundation Huang had created over the past 33 years.
Nvidia’s board has appointed Kress as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement and considers internal and external candidates.
Trump has suggested former Apple chief executive Tim Cook as Huang’s successor.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Huang’s work at Nvidia and said Cook was the person to replace him.
“A Legend replaces a Legend,” Trump wrote.
Cook stepped down as Apple’s chief executive in September and now serves as the company’s executive chairman.
There has been no indication that Cook is interested in the position.
Huang’s departure has raised questions about the wider AI industry. Nvidia is not only a major chip supplier but an investor in companies that build and rent out AI computing infrastructure.
The company is preparing to invest approximately $10 billion in AI developer Anthropic as part of its planned stock market listing, expected next week.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/12/why-did-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-resign-and-who-is-colette-kress