Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang stepped down as CEO Thursday as an alleged Chinese espionage scandal engulfed the chip giant he helped build into an artificial intelligence powerhouse.
Huang resigned as president, chief executive and a member of Nvidia’s board, effective immediately, the company announced.
Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement, considering candidates from inside and outside the company.
Huang’s departure came just four days after he publicly admitted being unfaithful to his wife and Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation into reports that he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
“My actions hurt her and our children,” he said in his Nov. 8 statement. “There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”
His apology did not identify the person involved or explain the relationship.
The New York Times previously reported that U.S. intelligence officials had identified a Chinese businesswoman with close ties to Huang as someone gathering information for Beijing.
The allegations raised national security questions surrounding the head of a company whose advanced chips underpin the race to develop artificial intelligence.
🚨 JUST IN: Nvidia just made it OFFICIAL, JENSEN HUANG is OUT as CEO, President and member of the Board
Shockwaves.
“Board of Directors announced today that Jensen Huang has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately.”
“Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA, has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer.”
He founded Nvidia 33 years ago and was its ONLY CEO — until today
The board is already searching for a permanent replacement.
This follows reports he was being pushed out over two affairs — one with a suspected CHINESE SPY
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 12, 2026
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Nvidia assigned a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, to oversee its investigation.
When announcing the review Sunday, the board said it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia’s secrets had been compromised. It said investigators would examine all available information.
China has denied the espionage allegations, dismissing the reports as an effort to smear Beijing.
The leadership upheaval marks an abrupt turn for a company that grew from a graphics startup into a dominant supplier of the computing hardware used to train and run AI models.
Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 with fellow engineers Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem after discussions at a Denny’s restaurant in California.
Their early ambition centered on bringing 3D graphics to video games and multimedia. More than three decades later, Nvidia’s technology sits at the heart of the global AI boom.
