SANTA CLARA, Nov 12 — Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang has resigned as president, chief executive officer (CEO), and board member, effective immediately, amid an independent investigation into reports that a foreign intelligence operation targeted him.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that chief financial officer Colette Kress was appointed interim CEO and will retain her existing responsibilities as the board considers internal and external candidates for a permanent successor.
The chipmaker also named former Synopsys chief executive Harvey C. Jones as its first board chair.
Jones expressed confidence in Kress and the leadership team, saying operations, customer commitments, and the company's product roadmap would continue without disruption.
Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013, pledged to build on the foundation Huang had established over 33 years.
The company thanked Huang for his contributions but did not say why he resigned. His departure follows the board's November 8 announcement of an independent investigation. At the time, directors expressed confidence in Huang and said they had no reason to believe US national security or company secrets had been compromised.
Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to employees that day and pledged to cooperate with the inquiry.
On Tuesday, independent directors retained former acting United States Attorney Joon H. Kim and law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct the investigation.
