Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Resigns Amid Affair Allegations

Nvidia announced Thursday morning that Jensen Huang has resigned as chief executive, with chief financial officer Colette Kress named interim CEO, according to The Verge. The move followed reporting that Nvidia's board was preparing to dismiss Huang over a second alleged extramarital affair.

What did Nvidia announce about Jensen Huang?

Nvidia confirmed Huang's resignation and said Kress, the company's CFO, would serve as interim chief executive, The Verge reported. The announcement capped a fast-moving sequence of events that began with reports of an earlier affair and escalated within days to reports of a board vote on his future.

What prompted the board's decision?

The board was preparing to meet "as soon as Wednesday night" to decide on Huang's future, The Wall Street Journal reported, according to The Verge. That meeting came after The New York Times reported a second alleged affair, this one involving Nvidia's vice president of health care, Kimberly Powell, who reports to Huang, according to The Verge's account of the Times reporting. The board's deliberations followed just days after Huang had already admitted to a separate affair, this one with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy, per the Journal's reporting cited by The Verge.

The Verge said Nvidia did not immediately respond to its request for comment on the board's deliberations before the resignation was announced.

Who is replacing Huang as CEO?

Colette Kress, Nvidia's chief financial officer, has been appointed interim CEO, Nvidia said in its Thursday announcement, per The Verge. The company has not said whether Kress's role is intended as a longer-term appointment or a bridge while the board searches for a permanent successor.

What do the affair allegations involve?

The Times reported that Huang had a relationship with Powell, an executive who reports directly to him, raising questions about Nvidia's internal reporting lines and workplace conduct policies, according to The Verge's summary of that reporting. That report followed an earlier disclosure, reported by the Journal, that Huang had admitted to a prior affair with a woman alleged to be a Chinese intelligence operative. The Verge noted both reports surfaced within a span of days, intensifying scrutiny of Huang's position atop the world's most valuable chipmaker.

Huang and Powell are both married to other people, The Verge reported, citing the Times.

What happens next at Nvidia?

Nvidia has not detailed next steps beyond naming Kress interim CEO, according to The Verge. Questions remain about whether the board will launch a formal search for a permanent chief executive, how it will address the allegations involving Powell's reporting relationship to Huang, and whether additional disclosures tied to the alleged Chinese-spy connection will follow. The Verge said it would continue to track developments as Nvidia's board addresses Huang's future and the company's leadership transition.