A spy allegation and a second affair topple Nvidia’s founder
A spy allegation and a second affair topple Nvidia’s founder
On Sunday, Jensen Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife after reports linked him to Alice Huang, a businesswoman whom U.S. intelligence suspects of spying for China. Nvidia said it was investigating whether Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort; China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the spying allegations. By Wednesday, reports of a second affair—this time with an Nvidia executive who reported to Huang—had intensified pressure on the company’s board.
On Thursday, Nvidia announced that Huang had resigned as CEO, president and board member, effective immediately, ending his 33-year run at the company he co-founded. CFO Colette Kress was named interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor, considering candidates from inside and outside Nvidia. Kress told employees the period had been “extraordinarily difficult” and urged them to “move forward together.”
The succession challenge is unusually stark: Huang ran Nvidia without a clear second-in-command or formal succession plan, and analysts say his role extended well beyond the CEO title. One analyst described Kress as a respected internal leader, but predicted the permanent successor would likely come from outside the company. The market reflected that uncertainty: Nvidia shares fell sharply after the announcement, while one analyst called the lack of a successor a threat to the stock’s investability.
President Donald Trump, who had stood by Huang during the earlier revelations, called him “a Legend” and floated Apple executive chairman Tim Cook as a possible replacement—without addressing the controversy. Others focused on Huang’s record: tech leaders praised his contribution to Nvidia’s growth, with Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney calling his departure “a sad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity” in a post shared by Elon Musk.
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