Nvidia's CEO and founder, Jensen Huang, resigned on Wednesday, effective immediately. The company's board of directors announced the news and appointed Colette Kress, the executive vice president and chief financial officer, as interim CEO. Huang's resignation follows revelations of an affair and an ongoing investigation into whether he was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort.
The search for a permanent successor is now underway, with several names being floated. Rene Haas, CEO of Arm Holdings, has been approached by Nvidia, though it remains uncertain if he will be offered the role or accept it. Haas previously held a leadership position at Nvidia, serving as vice president and general manager of its computing products business unit.
Internal candidates like Ian Buck, vice president of hyperscale and high-performance computing at Nvidia, are also in the mix. Analysts and investors view Buck as a strong contender, given his deep technical expertise and leadership in developing Nvidia's software platform. Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are favoring Buck as the top candidate.
Colette Kress, the interim CEO, is also considered a potential long-term leader. Armina Rosenberg of Minotaur Capital suggested a co-CEO structure, pairing Kress with a product and technology leader like Buck to stabilize the company. Former Apple CEO Tim Cook was briefly mentioned by President Donald Trump as a possible candidate, though Cook stepped down from his position in September.