NVIDIA announced on November 12, 2026 (U.S. time) that founder Jensen Huang has resigned as president and CEO and as a member of the board. The resignation took effect immediately, and Colette Kress, executive vice president and CFO, has become interim CEO. The board is beginning a search for a permanent CEO.
Huang Left All Three Roles — President, CEO and Director — Effective Immediately
According to the press release "NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition," posted to the company's official newsroom and dated November 12, 2026, the board announced that Huang "has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately." No transition period for a handover is described. The press release does not give a reason for the resignation.
In the release, the board and the company thanked Huang for his "immeasurable contributions" to the company and the industry. According to the comment from Kress, now interim CEO, Huang spent 33 years building the company.
Kress Will Serve as Interim CEO While Remaining CFO
According to the press release, Kress joined NVIDIA in September 2013 and has led its finance organization as executive vice president and CFO ever since. Before joining, she spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft.
Kress will serve as interim CEO while continuing as CFO until a permanent CEO is named. The board says it will consider both internal and external candidates for the role, but it has not given a timeline for the search.
Kress said NVIDIA's strength has always come from its people, and that she is "committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years." She said the company remains focused on serving its customers, partners, developers and shareholders.
The Board Has a Chair for the First Time
At the same time, the board appointed Harvey C. Jones as chair of the board. The press release describes this as the first time NVIDIA's board has had a 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.
Jones said the board "has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team." He said he expects operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap to continue "without interruption."
The Board Had Announced an Independent Investigation on November 8
In a statement dated November 8, 2026 and posted to the official newsroom, "Statement From NVIDIA Board of Directors," NVIDIA's board said that a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, would oversee an independent investigation. The statement says the board has no reason to believe that national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised. A further statement dated November 10, "Statement From the Independent Members of the NVIDIA Board," said an outside law firm had been retained to conduct the investigation.
The November 12 press release does not mention this investigation, and NVIDIA has not said whether it has any connection to the resignation.
Earnings Will Go Ahead as Scheduled, and No Changes to Product Plans Were Announced
According to the press release, NVIDIA will report results for the third quarter of fiscal 2027 on November 17, 2026 at approximately 1:20 p.m. PT (around 6:20 a.m. JST on November 18), followed by its earnings call at 2 p.m. PT (7:00 a.m. JST on November 18). The schedule is unchanged from what was previously planned, and it will be the first earnings call since Kress became interim CEO.
The press release says nothing about changes to products, supply or pricing. With Jones also saying the product roadmap will continue without interruption, nothing in the announcement requires individuals or companies that use NVIDIA's GPUs and AI products to take any action at this point.
Our Take
What follows is our own reading, not something NVIDIA has stated. NVIDIA sits at the center of the market for AI semiconductors, and Huang has been the face of the company on both the management and the technology side since its founding. With him stepping down without a transition period, we expect the question of who succeeds him to matter not just to NVIDIA but to the entire AI industry that depends on its products.
In our view, putting the head of finance in the interim top job and creating a board chair role for the first time suggest that the board has prioritized stability and continuity of the business for now. We see three things to watch from here: how Kress describes the outlook for orders and supply on the November 17 call, how long the successor search takes, and whether the permanent CEO comes from inside or outside the company.
Summary
NVIDIA announced on November 12, 2026 that founder Jensen Huang has resigned as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately, and that CFO Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO alongside her current role. The board appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first chair and will look inside and outside the company for a permanent successor. The earnings report will go ahead as scheduled on November 17 (the morning of November 18, JST).
