Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Resigns

Nvidia’s Board of Directors announced today that Jensen Huang, the CEO and founder of the company, has resigned. The leadership change comes after The New York Times revealed Huang’s affair with a Chinese woman who has been determined to be a spy by US intelligence services. In a separate report published yesterday, the NYT detailed that Huang also had a relationship with an Nvidia executive who reports to him.

As of today, Huang has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Nvidia Board. The chip maker appointed Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as the company’s interim CEO. The Board also appointed Harvey C. Jones, the former CEO of Synopsys, as its first-ever Chair of the Board.

“NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years,” said Colette Kress, the new Interim CEO of NVIDIA. “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.”

In an email to employees, Huang previously said that he was “fully committed to Nvidia and will work to earn back your confidence.” However, his position had clearly become untenable after the NYT revealed that the exec had another affair with an Nvidia executive.

“Jensen’s contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry,” the Board of Directors said in its press release today. Harvey Jones, Chair of the NVIDIA Board of Directors, also said today that the Board “has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team, and we expect the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption.”