Nvidia without Huang: Colette Kress takes over as interim CEO

Jensen Huang resigned on November 12, 2026, as Nvidia’s chief executive officer, chairman and board member, according to reports citing a company announcement. Chief financial officer Colette Kress takes over the leadership on an interim basis while keeping her finance duties, as the stock was down more than 10% before the US market opened.

Who takes over Nvidia after Huang?

Colette Kress becomes interim CEO until a permanent successor is chosen, with the board considering internal and external candidates. As Cointelegraph and The Defiant report, she will remain CFO at the same time.

Kress has run Nvidia’s finances since September 2013 and previously worked at Cisco and Microsoft. At Microsoft she was chief financial officer of the Server and Tools division from 2006 to 2010, the period in which Azure was also launched. So interim leadership passes to an executive who already knows the company, not to an outside replacement.

Harvey C. Jones, former CEO of Synopsys, becomes the first chairman of Nvidia’s board. Huang’s departure ends 33 years at the helm of the company he co-founded.

What do we know about Jensen Huang’s departure?

Nvidia gave no reason for the resignation, according to BeInCrypto, although it follows reports about Huang’s personal conduct and a board investigation.

The sources describe allegations about personal relationships, including with a company executive. The Defiant reports that the related corporate disclosure does not address the issues of the investigation announced on November 8. We keep the distinction clear: the timing is not an official explanation for the resignation, and allegations are not the same as established wrongdoing.

How did Nvidia stock react?

Nvidia stock was down 10.38% at $155.69 in premarket trading on November 12, according to Yahoo Finance data cited by BeInCrypto. That was a snapshot before the open, not a closing price.

CryptoPotato places the drop after already significant pressure: from its all-time high of $239 in early October, the stock had closed at $173 the previous day. Earlier on Thursday, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were down 0.4% and 0.8% respectively, though that does not prove Nvidia was the only cause.

What is Kress’s link to mining?

Kress’s connection to crypto mainly concerns the legal battle over how Nvidia presented demand for graphics cards from cryptocurrency mining. In 2022, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fined the company $5.5 million for inadequately disclosing mining’s contribution to its revenue growth.

In a separate shareholder lawsuit, the claims against Kress remained dismissed in 2023, because allegations of knowing or reckless misleading were not sufficiently supported. The case against Nvidia and Huang continued. So we don’t automatically transfer the company’s liability to its interim chief.

What are we watching from here?

The next concrete milestone is the release of third-quarter results for fiscal year 2027, on November 17. The board says it expects continuity in operations, customer commitments and product planning.

We think that is where the transition will be tested in practice. For investors in Greece with exposure through stocks or funds that track the S&P 500, the news is about more than one name at the top. For the crypto market, however, the sources do not point to any direct impact on prices or on mining. A historical link to graphics cards is one thing; a proven consequence today is another.