Nvidia founder Jensen Huang has resigned as president, chief executive and a member of the company’s board, effective immediately, the company said Thursday. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while continuing as CFO. Nvidia’s board says it will consider internal and external candidates for a permanent successor.

The change puts a new leader in charge of one of the most consequential suppliers to the AI-computing market. Nvidia’s announcement names no permanent successor and does not give a reason for Huang’s departure.

What Nvidia announced

In its Nov. 12 statement, Nvidia said Huang had resigned from all three roles with immediate effect. Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013 and has led its finance organization, will hold the interim CEO job until a permanent successor is named. The board plans to consider candidates from inside and outside the company.

The board also appointed Harvey C. Jones as Nvidia’s first-ever chair. The company said it expects its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption. That is Nvidia’s stated expectation as it begins the transition, not a guarantee about future performance.

Why the transition matters

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led it for more than three decades. The company’s processors and related systems have become central to the build-out of AI computing, making the CEO transition significant for customers, suppliers and investors across the technology industry, as Reuters and CNN report.

Kress will initially keep both the CEO and CFO responsibilities. The board has not announced a timetable for naming a permanent CEO. Nvidia has also said it plans to report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Nov. 17, the first major scheduled company event after the leadership change.

What Nvidia has—and has not—said about the reason

Nvidia’s transition announcement does not explain why Huang resigned or connect his departure to any other matter. On Nov. 8, the board said it was opening an independent investigation after reports that Huang had been the target of a foreign-intelligence effort. The board said at the time it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, and that Huang supported the review. On Nov. 10, the independent directors said they had retained outside counsel to conduct the inquiry. Nvidia has not said in the transition announcement that the investigation prompted Huang’s resignation.

That distinction matters: the confirmed development is a leadership change, while any connection between that change and the separate investigation would be speculation unless Nvidia or reliable reporting establishes it.

What happens next?

Kress will serve as interim CEO and CFO while the board searches for a permanent chief executive. The company has not said when it expects to complete that search. Nvidia’s next scheduled financial update is its Nov. 17 quarterly results, which may give investors an early opportunity to hear how the leadership team plans to manage the transition.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Nvidia’s interim CEO?

Colette Kress, Nvidia’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, is interim CEO. She will keep the CFO role while serving in the interim position.

Did Jensen Huang leave Nvidia’s board?

Yes. Nvidia said he resigned as president, CEO and a board member, effective immediately. The board appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first chair.

Has Nvidia named a permanent successor?

No. The board said it will consider internal and external candidates. Kress is interim CEO until a permanent successor is named.

Did Nvidia state why Huang resigned?

No reason was given in Nvidia’s Nov. 12 transition announcement. The company has not linked the resignation to its separately announced board investigation.