Jensen Huang resigns from NVIDIA, effective immediately: no permanent successor, two official texts, zero reasons, earnings in five days

In brief

• Huang leaves everything at once: the presidency, the chief executive role and his seat on the board.
• The board accepted his resignation on Wednesday 11/11, the day before the press release, according to the document filed with the SEC.
• Colette Kress, chief financial officer since September 2013, becomes interim chief executive and keeps her job.
• Neither the press release nor the document filed with the SEC gives a reason, and neither quotes Huang.
• The quarterly results stay on the calendar for Tuesday 17/11.

What NVIDIA announces

The announcement comes from the board of directors of NVIDIA, the company that describes itself as "the world leader in AI and accelerated computing". It fits in one sentence: Jensen Huang "has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately".

Colette Kress "has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer": she becomes the provisional CEO, the company's number one. She stays Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (the CFO, the person who keeps the accounts) at the same time, "until a permanent successor has been named". She has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since joining NVIDIA in September 2013, after nearly 25 years in finance roles at leading technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.

The board is starting a search for a permanent chief executive and says it "will consider internal and external candidates". In the film Bloomberg shot in October, Huang said he hoped the next boss already works at NVIDIA. I told that story this morning: Bloomberg filmed Jensen Huang as the king of AI, then the crisis rewrote the film. I also wrote there that at 08:35 UTC, no departure had been announced. The press release came out five hours and thirteen minutes later.

Last announcement: the board appointed Harvey C. Jones as "its first-ever Chair of the Board". An entrepreneur, technology executive and active venture investor for over 30 years, he has served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Synopsys, among other roles.

Five days before the numbers

NVIDIA will report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday 17/11, at approximately 1:20 p.m. PT (Pacific Time, 10:20 p.m. in Paris), "as previously scheduled". The earnings call follows at 2 p.m. PT, 11 p.m. in Paris. From Thursday 12 to Tuesday 17: five days.

The notice for that call, published on 28/10, promised written commentary on the results from Colette Kress, Chief Financial Officer, ahead of the call. Since this Thursday, the finance chief announced for that commentary and the interim boss of the company being commented on share one name.

Harvey Jones, in the press release: "The Board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team, and we expect the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption." Colette Kress: "NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years".

Four days earlier

On Sunday 08/11, NVIDIA published two texts. In the first, the board opened an independent investigation "in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort". It wrote that it "has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised", and ended with: "The Board has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team".

The second is an email from Huang to his employees. In it he apologises to his family and to his staff, and he writes: "Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life." Then: "I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence."

On Tuesday 10/11, the independent directors handed the investigation to Joon H. Kim, "former acting U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York", and his firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

The day before, according to the SEC filing

The same day, NVIDIA filed a Form 8-K with the SEC, the document a US-listed company must file when a major event occurs; the filing's entry in the SEC register shows 13:52 UTC. The document dates the facts to the day before. "On November 11, 2026", a Wednesday, the board "accepted the resignation of Jen-Hsun Huang" (the name the filing uses for Jensen Huang), "effective immediately". "Following Mr. Huang’s resignation", it appointed Colette M. Kress, "age 59", to serve as interim Chief Executive Officer "while the Board conducts a search for a new Chief Executive Officer". On the same 11/11, it appointed Harvey C. Jones, "age 73", as Chair of the Board; Jones "has served on the Board since 1993".

All of it sits under Item 5.02, the one covering departures of directors and officers, elections and appointments, and officers' compensatory arrangements. The document is dated 12/11 and signed by Colette Kress, her new title first: "Interim Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer".

My verdict

On Sunday, the board had "confidence in Jensen and his leadership team". On Wednesday, it accepted his resignation. On Thursday, it has "full confidence in Colette and the leadership team". Between the first sentence and the last: four days, and one founder fewer.

For the man leaving, the press release has three sentences of thanks: 35 words for the 33 years Colette Kress counts, barely more than one word a year. In a video game, the final boss gets a cutscene. Here, the credits roll without the scene.

See you Tuesday, around 10:20 p.m. in Paris, for the numbers. NVIDIA has written two official texts. They answer who, when and how. Why is missing.

Words to remember

• CEO: Chief Executive Officer, the company's number one.
• CFO: Chief Financial Officer, the person in charge of the company's finances.
• Interim: holding the job until a permanent holder is named.
• SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission, the US financial markets regulator.
• 8-K: the form a listed company files with the SEC to report a major event.
• Fiscal 2027: NVIDIA's accounting year, which does not follow the calendar; its third quarter ended on 25/10/2026.

Source sheet

• NVIDIA: press release "NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition", 12/11/2026, published at 13:48 UTC.
• SEC: NVIDIA's Form 8-K, dated 12/11/2026, event dated 11/11/2026, Items 5.02 and 9.01, with the press release attached as Exhibit 99.1; the filing's entry in the SEC register, accepted on 12/11/2026 at 13:52 UTC.
• NVIDIA, the days before: Jensen Huang's message to employees, "A Message to Our Company", 08/11/2026; statement from the board of directors, 08/11/2026; statement from the independent directors, 10/11/2026; notice of the results conference call, 28/10/2026.
• On Silicium Rose: Bloomberg filmed Jensen Huang as the king of AI, then the crisis rewrote the film, by White Rose.
• Links: the 12/11 press release · the Form 8-K · NVIDIA filings at the SEC · Jensen Huang's message · board statement · independent directors · results conference call

Source passages

Pages read on 12/11/2026 by direct request (HTTP 200). Times in UTC. The Form 8-K S8 was downloaded at 16:40 UTC.

Show the 22 sources

Ref.	Quote (original language)	URL	Read at
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	Title, date and subheads: "NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition"; "November 12, 2026"; "Jensen Huang Resigns"; "Colette Kress, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Appointed Interim CEO"; "Harvey C. Jones Appointed First-Ever Chair of the Board"	https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-announces-ceo-transition	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) Board of Directors announced today that Jensen Huang has resigned as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately."	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA, has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Kress will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer while serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer until a permanent successor has been named. The Board is initiating a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer and will consider internal and external candidates."	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"Kress has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA since joining the company in September 2013."; "Prior to joining NVIDIA, Kress spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at leading technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft."	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"The Board of Directors appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever Chair of the Board. Mr. Jones has been an entrepreneur, technology executive, and active venture investor for over 30 years, including serving as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Synopsys."	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"The Board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team, and we expect the company’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue without interruption." (said Harvey Jones, Chair of the NVIDIA Board of Directors)	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years" (said Colette Kress, Interim CEO and CFO, NVIDIA)	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"Jensen’s contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. The Board and the company thank Jensen for his immeasurable contributions to the company and the industry." (3 sentences, 35 words)	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"NVIDIA will report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results on Tuesday, November 17, at approximately 1:20 p.m. PT, as previously scheduled, followed by its earnings call at 2 p.m. PT."	idem	16:20
S1↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6+7	"NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in AI and accelerated computing."	idem	16:20
S2↑1↑2	Newsroom feed: "NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition", pubDate "Thu, 12 Nov 2026 13:48:00 GMT"	https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/releases.xml	16:21
S3↑1↑2	SEC register (API): form "8-K"; filingDate "2026-11-12"; acceptanceDateTime "2026-11-12T13:52:41.000Z"; reportDate "2026-11-11"; items "5.02,9.01"; accessionNumber "0001045810-26-000082"	https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001045810.json	16:20
S4↑1↑2	"NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang sent the following email to NVIDIA employees earlier today."; "November 8, 2026"; "I owe my family and all of you an apology."; "Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life."; "I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence."	https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/a-message-to-our-company	16:21
S5↑1↑2	"November 8, 2026"; "The NVIDIA Board is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort."; "While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board's inquiry will examine all available information."; "The Board has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team and will provide further updates as appropriate."	https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/statement-from-nvidia-board-of-directors	16:21
S6↑1↑2	"November 10, 2026"; "The independent members of the NVIDIA Board have retained former acting U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim and his firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct a thorough and independent investigation as was announced on Sunday."	https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/statement-from-the-independent-members-of-the-nvidia-board	16:21
S7↑1↑2↑3	"October 28, 2026"; "NVIDIA will host a conference call on Tuesday, November 17, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) to discuss its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2027, which ended October 25, 2026."; "Ahead of the call, NVIDIA will provide written commentary on its third-quarter results from Colette Kress, the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer."	https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-sets-conference-call-for-third-quarter-financial-results-6928873	16:21
S8↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6	"Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 11, 2026"	https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1045810/000104581026000082/nvda-20261111.htm	16:40
S8↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6	"Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers."	idem	16:40
S8↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6	"On November 11, 2026, the Board of Directors, or the Board, of NVIDIA Corporation accepted the resignation of Jen-Hsun Huang, as NVIDIA’s President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board, effective immediately."	idem	16:40
S8↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6	"Following Mr. Huang’s resignation, the Board appointed NVIDIA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Colette M. Kress, age 59, to serve as interim Chief Executive Officer, while the Board conducts a search for a new Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Kress has served as NVIDIA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2013 and will continue in that role while she serves as the interim Chief Executive Officer."	idem	16:40
S8↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6	"On November 11, 2026, the Board appointed Harvey C. Jones, age 73, as Chair of the Board. Mr. Jones has served on the Board since 1993."	idem	16:40
S8↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5↑6	"A copy of the press release announcing the above is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K."; "Date: November 12, 2026"; "By: /s/ Colette M. Kress"; "Interim Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer"	idem	16:40