Jensen Huang steps down as Nvidia CEO after 33 years

November 12, 2026 (MLN): Jensen Huang is stepping down as chief executive of Nvidia, ending a 33-year run at the chipmaker he co-founded and built into a $4tr company at the centre of the artificial intelligence boom.

Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has taken over as interim CEO.

Nvidia shares were down 12.61%, or $21.91, at $151.82 in pre-market trading on the Nasdaq, against Wednesday’s close of $173.73, which was up 2.87%, or $4.84, on the day, according to Investing.com

Board chair Harvey Jones expressed full confidence in Colette Kress and the leadership team in the company’s release, adding that operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap are expected to continue without interruption, CNBC reported.

Colette Kress also gave a statement in the release, while Jensen Huang was not quoted in it.

The exit follows a rapid series of disclosures about the 63-year-old executive’s personal life.

On Sunday, Jensen Huang apologised for being unfaithful to his wife, without giving details of his relationship with businesswoman Alice Huang.

She has reportedly worked for Megaspeed, a Chinese company that is also an Nvidia customer, and is believed by the US intelligence community to be a Chinese spy, according to reports.

Jensen Huang denied that he compromised national security or Nvidia’s secrets.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Jensen Huang had a separate relationship with Kimberly Powell, the company’s vice president for health care.

The paper and other outlets later reported that Nvidia’s board met the same afternoon to discuss the company’s future.

The reports also raised concern over whether Nvidia knew that firms based in Singapore and Malaysia were evading US export controls to access its technology.

On Tuesday, the board disclosed that it had hired law firm Wachtell Lipton to investigate the intelligence-related allegations.

The episode also puts a spotlight on US President Donald Trump, who built a close relationship with Jensen Huang.

Jensen Huang became an influential voice on US AI policy, pushing for open-source AI access and for permission to export chips to China, both in Nvidia’s interest.

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