He spent years building one of the most powerful companies in tech. Then, almost overnight, he left it behind. Jensen Huang has resigned as president and chief executive of NVIDIA with immediate effect, bringing an extraordinary 33-year chapter at the world's leading AI chipmaker to an abrupt end.
The company has appointed long-time Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while its board searches for a permanent replacement. Kress will retain her finance responsibilities alongside her new position.
Harvey C. Jones, a veteran technology executive and investor, has also been appointed as the company's first-ever chairman of the board.
This is a huge moment for NVIDIA. Its chips are the engine of the AI boom, running everything from ChatGPT to the giant data centres that support it.
Now its most recognisable leader, Jensen Huang, is leaving. Investors, tech firms and AI fans everywhere are asking the same thing: what comes next for NVIDIA?
Meet the Woman Taking Charge of Nvidia
Kress is no outsider. She has spent years inside NVIDIA's boardroom. She joined NVIDIA in September 2013 and has spent more than 13 years overseeing its finances during a period of extraordinary expansion.
She holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Before joining NVIDIA, Kress built an extensive career in the technology industry, including 13 years at Microsoft, where she served as chief financial officer of its Server and Tools division. She also held finance positions at Cisco and Texas Instruments, bringing decades of experience to her new leadership role.
From Reporting Earnings To Running an AI Giant
Kress has regularly led NVIDIA's quarterly earnings calls, giving investors a front-row seat to the company's extraordinary growth.
In February 2025, she reported quarterly revenue of $39.33 billion (£29.67 billion), beating expectations as demand for its AI processors continued to surge.
She also revealed that demand for NVIDIA's Blackwell GPUs had exceeded expectations, although she warned that the impact of US tariffs remained uncertain.
NVIDIA's market value also passed $2 trillion (£1.51 trillion) and then $3 trillion (£2.26 trillion) during 2024, establishing it among the world's most valuable companies. Kress's own compensation reflects her senior position. She received approximately $13.3 million (£10 million) in 2023, although her current net worth has not been publicly established.
The board said it had full confidence in her and the existing leadership team, promising that customer commitments, operations and the product roadmap would continue without interruption.
What Happens to the Future of AI?
Founded in 1993, NVIDIA initially made its name producing graphics processing units (GPUs), specialised chips that help computers render video game graphics.
But those same processors eventually became incredibly valuable for artificial intelligence, handling the enormous calculations needed to train and operate AI models.
That transformation helped make NVIDIA a central player in the global technology industry. Now, with Huang gone, investors will be watching closely to see whether the company can maintain its technological advantage and meet the extraordinary demand for AI hardware.
Meanwhile, NVIDIA is scheduled to announce its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on 17 November. It will be an important moment for Kress to demonstrate that the company can keep moving forward without the man who led it for more than three decades.
Now, the woman who helped count NVIDIA's billions must prove she can keep the AI empire growing without the man who built it.
