Jensen Huang Resigns as Nvidia CEO: CFO Colette Kress Named Interim CEO, Harvey Jones Becomes First Chair

Jensen Huang is out as Nvidia's CEO. Nvidia's board announced on Thursday, November 12, that Huang has resigned as president, CEO and a member of the board, effective immediately. CFO Colette Kress is now interim CEO, and Harvey C. Jones becomes the company's first-ever Chair of the Board. Huang co-founded Nvidia and ran it for 33 years.

Update, 4:25pm ET, the close: Nvidia finished the day at $166.19, down 4.34% (Nasdaq and Yahoo Finance agree). That's well off the morning low of $148.80, so the stock clawed back most of the early drop. AMD closed up 5.86% at $585.30 and Broadcom up 5.54% at $364.36. Nvidia hasn't put out anything new since the resignation announcement. Next up: earnings on Tuesday.

Updated November 12, 2026, 4:25pm ET, after the close. Official details from Nvidia's announcement filed with the SEC. Prices from Nasdaq, checked against Yahoo Finance.

Related: Nvidia Closes at $162.85, Lowest Close Since July 2025, After First Week Without Jensen Huang · Nvidia Hits a New 52-Week Low as the Board Discusses Jensen Huang's Future as CEO, the New York Times Reports

The numbers

What Nvidia actually announced

Here's what's in the official release, nothing more:

• Jensen Huang resigned as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately.
• Colette Kress, CFO since September 2013, is interim CEO. She keeps her CFO job at the same time until a permanent CEO is named.
• The board is searching for a permanent CEO and will look at people inside and outside the company.
• Harvey C. Jones, a tech executive and investor who was CEO and Executive Chairman of Synopsys, is the first-ever Chair of the Board.
• Earnings are still on for Tuesday, November 17, with the call at 2pm PT (5pm ET).

The release doesn't give a reason. It thanks Huang for his "immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry." Jones said the board expects operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap "to continue without interruption."

Who is Colette Kress?

If you follow Nvidia earnings, you already know her voice: she's the one walking through the numbers on every call. She joined Nvidia as CFO in September 2013 and before that spent nearly 25 years in finance at companies like Cisco and Microsoft. In the release she says she's "committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years," and that the focus stays on customers, partners, developers and shareholders. She's now doing two jobs at once, CEO and CFO, right before the biggest earnings report of the year.

Why it happened, according to reports

Nvidia didn't say why, so this part is reporting, not official. NBC News, Yahoo Finance and others report the resignation follows reports of extramarital relationships, including one with a woman US intelligence officials reportedly believe is a Chinese spy. China has rejected the spying claims. The board had opened an investigation on November 8 (here's how that started), a shareholder lawsuit followed on November 9 (what it says), and on Wednesday the New York Times reported the board was discussing his future (this morning's story).

How the stock took it

Wild morning. Nvidia was already down about 8% before the open on the board reports. After the announcement it opened around $151 and hit $148.80, a new 52-week low, down more than 13% from Wednesday's close. Then it climbed back. At 11:32am ET it was $164.88, down about 5%.

That bounce is interesting. A lot of analysts had warned the stock could drop around 20% if Huang left. So far it hasn't, at least not by midday. Some investors may simply be relieved the uncertainty is over. Meanwhile AMD and Broadcom were both up about 6%, as money spread out to other AI chip names.

What it means for gamers

Probably nothing you'll notice soon. GeForce cards, drivers and the RTX 50 series don't stop because the CEO changed, and Nvidia's own release says the product roadmap continues. The bigger questions are long-term: who sets the direction, and whether gaming stays a priority next to AI chips. Nobody knows that yet.

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What to watch

• Earnings on November 17. First results with Kress in charge, and the first chance for analysts to ask questions.
• Who the board picks as permanent CEO, and how long the search takes.
• Whether the board's investigation reports any findings.

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If you want the story of how Huang built the company in the first place, The Nvidia Way by Tae Kim and The Thinking Machine by Stephen Witt are both good reads, and they hit different now.

FAQ

Did Jensen Huang resign?

Yes. Nvidia announced on November 12, 2026, that he resigned as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately.

Who is Nvidia's CEO now?

Colette Kress, the CFO, is interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent one.

Why did Jensen Huang resign?

Nvidia didn't give a reason. News reports tie it to reported extramarital relationships and the board's investigation.

This is news, not financial advice.