Nvidia Interim CEO: Colette Kress takes helm after Huang exit

Colette Kress assumed the role of interim chief executive officer at Nvidia on Thursday, a move made necessary by the sudden resignation of founder Jensen Huang.

Kress, a 13-year veteran of the company, steps into the top spot after reports of extramarital affairs, including an alleged relationship with a Chinese spy, prompted Huang’s departure.

The appointment places a senior financial officer in charge of a company valued at $4 trillion that serves as a central pillar of the artificial intelligence industry.

Kress joined Nvidia in 2013 as executive vice president and chief financial officer. During her tenure, she helped design the company’s strategy of investing in and partnering with its own customers, a practice often termed circular financing.

These arrangements have drawn scrutiny regarding financial risk. Nvidia holds a nearly 13 percent stake in CoreWeave, a company that buys Nvidia chips to rent out computing power for AI development. When Nvidia shares dropped on Thursday, CoreWeave stock fell by 7 percent.

The company also maintains financing deals with OpenAI and Nebius. Kress was a key figure in structuring agreements with other major customers, including Anthropic.

Huang’s exit came after The New York Times reported on his relationship with a woman identified as a potential Chinese spy. Later that week, reports emerged of a second inappropriate relationship between Huang and a subordinate Nvidia executive.

Nvidia shares have lost more than 30 percent of their value since hitting an all-time high in October. The stock declined another 5 percent on Thursday following the announcement.

Kress stated that Nvidia’s strength has always come from its people. She said she intends to build on the extraordinary foundation Huang established over the last 33 years.

Analysts have offered mixed reactions to the leadership change. Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives said his team are big fans of Kress but expressed doubt that she will be the permanent successor.

Ives noted that Kress has built enormous credibility internally and externally, yet there is a good chance the board will look outside the company for a permanent CEO.

Before Nvidia, Kress worked at Cisco, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments. She holds a degree from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. Forbes estimated her personal wealth at over $1 billion in June, though that figure has decreased as Nvidia’s stock value has dropped by nearly a third since then. Her pay package for fiscal 2026 was worth $14 million according to the company’s proxy statement. Nvidia did not directly address the affairs in its announcement but said over the weekend it was investigating whether Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. China’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed the spying allegations.