Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned from the chipmaker on Thursday, capping a whirlwind week that cast a pallor over what was once the most valuable company in the world.
Nvidia’s CFO Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO and retain her CFO position. Huang will also step down as board chair and Harvey Jones, the former CEO of chip design company Synopsys, was named Nvidia’s first independent board chair. Semafor had earlier reported that Kress was in the lead to run the company on a temporary basis.
Huang’s ouster came less than a week after he admitted to an affair with a suspected Chinese spy; on Wednesday, multiple media reports detailed that Huang had another extramarital affair with a subordinate, leaving his position untenable at the company he founded 33 years ago.
“Together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years,” Kress said in a statement Thursday.
“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.”
Nvidia’s stock had fallen more than 10% ahead of market open Thursday.
— Brendan Ruberry
