- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is leaving, with Colette Kress stepping up as interim CEO
- Analysts said his departure is a watershed moment for the tech industry, with its full impact uncertain
- Scroll down to download our chart showing Nvidia's partnerships across the telecommunications sector
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stepped down from his role as CEO, tendering his resignation following reports he had affairs with at least two women, one of whom is a suspected Chinese spy.
Though perhaps expected, the move came as a shock to the industry given Nvidia’s central role in the AI revolution in recent years.
“Nvidia’s chips have been at the center of the AI universe these past several years, benefiting an entire ecosystem of companies, including telecom companies,” Fierce Network’s Chief Analyst Linda Hardesty said. “It’s too early to tell how Huang’s departure will affect the ecosystem and whether it slows down the AI boom. But if it does slow down, all the data center builds and fiber optic connections inside and outside the data centers may slow down as well.”
For the time being, Nvidia’s EVP and CFO Colette Kress has been appointed interim CEO. Harvey C. Jones, a tech entrepreneur and former CEO of Synopsys who has sat on Nvidia’s board since its founding in 1993, was tapped as the company’s first board Chairman.
In her first statement as interim CEO, Kress offered words of reassurance. “We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead. Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders,” she said.
Why is Huang leaving Nvidia?
Huang’s stunning exit comes after the New York Times reported in late October that the CEO allegedly had an affair with Alice Huang, an executive at Singaporean technology company Megaspeed who the U.S. government suspected of being a Chinese spy. The Times subsequently reported that Huang also had an alleged affair with Nvidia executive Kimberly Powell.
Huang acknowledged his conduct on November 8 in a message sent to Nvidia employees, writing “I owe my family and all of you an apology. I was unfaithful to my wife.” The same day, Nvidia’s board announced it was initiating an independent investigation into Huang’s conduct and potential security implications.
Nvidia announced the news of Huang’s resignation on November 12.
What analysts are saying about Huang’s departure
After reports of Huang’s affairs broke, Creative Strategies President and Principal Analyst Carolina Milanesi said that Huang’s “only real option was to resign. He spent more than three decades building Nvidia, and the company's stability now matters more than his place at the top of it.”
But while plenty of companies have swapped out CEOs, Huang’s exit will be sharply felt because it is both abrupt and because Nvidia is so embedded across industries. As Axios has reported, Nvidia has no clear successor lined up.
“The impact here will be greater than with other major departures because of its suddenness and Nvidia's numerous AI investments and customers across the entire technology industry. The effects will be felt far beyond Nvidia itself,” CCS Insight Research Director Ian Fogg noted.
“Huang has been instrumental in Nvidia’s extraordinary transformation, combining technological vision, commercial leadership and enormous industry influence. Replacing someone of his stature will be exceptionally difficult,” PP Foresight Principal Analyst Paolo Pescatore wrote. “The timing could hardly be more challenging. Nvidia sits at the heart of the AI revolution amid unprecedented infrastructure spending, growing scrutiny over returns and escalating geopolitical tensions, particularly between the U.S. and China.”
For J. Gold Associates Principal Analyst Jack Gold, the bottom line is the uncertainty that Huang’s actions and departure have created. “Markets and customers don’t like uncertainty, particularly, as is the case with Nvidia, they are paying a premium to work with the company. I think that is the real issue.” What that means for the company going forward remains to be seen.
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is set to report its fiscal Q3 2027 earnings on Tuesday, November 17. Company stock was down approximately 7% on the day, trading at $161.88 at time of publication.
Nvidia's partnerships across the telecommunications industry
Nvidia has partnerships across the telecommunications industry, including with Tier 1 service providers and vendors around the world. Notably the company invested $1 billion in Nokia in October 2025 to accelerate the development of AI-RAN.
Most recently, on Nov. 8, Nvidia announced it was partnering with Rebellions and SK Telecom to advance Korea’s sovereign AI infrastructure. The collab is focused on Korea’s language, industries and priorities, according to the announcement.
Elizabeth Coyne, Linda Hardesty and Monica Alleven all contributed to this story.
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