Nvidia chief Jensen Huang resigns after 33 years amid spy probe and affair reports as shares slide

Photo: Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang holding a chip · Photo: Reuters via Al Jazeera (FILE PHOTO)

The founder of the company at the centre of the AI boom has resigned after 33 years, with the board naming an interim chief — and the stock sliding sharply.

Jensen Huang has resigned as president, chief executive and board member of Nvidia, effective immediately, ending a 33-year run at the company he co-founded in 1993. Chief financial officer Colette Kress takes over as interim chief executive, and longtime director Harvey Jones becomes the board's first-ever chair.

The resignation follows a board investigation, announced on 8 November, into reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation through his relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer, whom US officials suspect of being a Chinese intelligence asset. Beijing has rejected the allegations as unsubstantiated, and the board said it had no reason to believe US national security or Nvidia's confidential information was compromised.

Huang apologised on Sunday 8 November for being “unfaithful” to his wife of more than 40 years. On 11 November, The New York Times reported a second affair, with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice-president of healthcare, citing unnamed sources.

Nvidia's statement gave no reason for the departure. The board met on Wednesday night to discuss ousting him, and the Wall Street Journal reported the board was weighing his future hours before the resignation.

The stock slid roughly 10–13% on the news and the company's market value fell below $4 trillion for the first time since 2025. Nvidia still reports quarterly results on Tuesday 17 November.

← Back to homepage  ·  Archive