Nvidia Announces Resignation of CEO Jensen Huang

NVIDIA’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, resigned on Thursday amid a relationship crisis with a Chinese woman suspected of working for Chinese intelligence agencies. The company said Huang stepped down as chairman, CEO, and board member, effective immediately. NVIDIA appointed Colette Kress as interim CEO, while she continues in her roles as president and chief financial officer, and named Harvey C. Jones as the company’s first independent chairman. The board has begun searching for a permanent CEO and will consider candidates from within and outside the company.

Huang is under investigation by NVIDIA’s board following reports of a relationship with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, with whom he has no familial ties. Additionally, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing five former NVIDIA employees, that 63-year-old Huang had an extramarital affair with a second woman, Kimberly Powell, the company’s vice president of healthcare services, who reports directly to him. According to the newspaper, this relationship had not been previously disclosed. Huang and Powell, 48, have both worked at the company for years, and both are married.