Jensen Huang's Last Hours as Nvidia CEO

Jensen Huang’s abrupt departure from Nvidia followed weeks of mounting scrutiny over his personal relationships and possible national-security implications. After reports linked him romantically to Alice Huang, a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, he initially told colleagues their contact was ordinary business. Nvidia’s general counsel confronted him after a report described the relationship as romantic; Huang then acknowledged an affair, apologized to his family and agreed to cooperate with a board investigation. The board’s initial reluctance to act shifted after further allegations emerged: a report said he had also been involved with Kimberly Powell, a senior Nvidia executive. Directors met remotely late Wednesday and required him to resign. By then, people close to the situation said the normally forceful, detail-focused CEO appeared depleted and disengaged.

The departure ends the tenure of the leader who helped make Nvidia central to the global AI boom, leaving the company without a conventional succession plan or an obvious replacement who can match his roles as technologist, executive and public advocate. CFO Colette Kress became interim CEO and promised an employee meeting, as Nvidia approached an earnings report expected to show sharply higher sales. Possible successors include AMD chief Lisa Su and Arm CEO Rene Haas. Huang may still face congressional questioning about whether his relationship with Alice Huang exposed sensitive chip information. He has reportedly expressed remorse and said his chief concern is the effect of the scandal on his wife and the women connected to it.