The Nvidia CEO resignation announced on 12 November 2026 came with no stated reason. The board accepted Jensen Huang’s departure as president, chief executive and director effective immediately, and named finance chief Colette Kress interim CEO. Nvidia will still report third-quarter results on 17 November.
What Nvidia’s Filing Actually Says
Nvidia Corporation, the California-based designer of the graphics and AI accelerator chips that most large language models are trained on, disclosed the change in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC, the United States agency that regulates public companies and securities markets. The filing is dated 12 November 2026 and gives 11 November 2026 as the date of the earliest event reported.
The document is narrow. Under Item 5.02, which covers the departure and appointment of directors and officers, the board recorded that it had accepted the resignation of Jen-Hsun Huang — the legal form of the name he uses publicly as Jensen — as president, chief executive officer and a member of the board, effective immediately.
What the filing does not contain matters as much as what it does. Nvidia’s 8-K states no reason for the resignation, records no disagreement with the company, and attaches no statement from Huang. The accompanying press release thanks him for his work and sets out the new arrangements, but it too is silent on why a founder who ran the company for 33 years left on a Wednesday with immediate effect.
This is the central fact to hold on to. Everything circulating about why Huang left comes from news reporting, from his own message to staff, or from members of Congress — not from the company’s own account of the decision.
Who Runs Nvidia Now
Two appointments took effect alongside the resignation, and one of them doubles up a job rather than filling it.
| Role | Holder | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Interim chief executive | Colette M. Kress | Age 59; agreed to serve until a permanent successor is named |
| Chief financial officer | Colette M. Kress | Retains the CFO role she has held since September 2013 |
| Chair of the board | Harvey C. Jones | Age 73; director since 1993; Nvidia’s first-ever board chair |
| Permanent chief executive | Vacant | Board search open to internal and external candidates |
Kress is not stepping out of the finance job to take the top one. The filing states that she will continue to serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer while she serves as interim chief executive officer. Before joining Nvidia she spent roughly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft.
Harvey C. Jones has sat on Nvidia’s board since 1993 and has been managing partner of Square Wave Ventures, a private family office, since 2004. He previously ran Synopsys as chief executive and executive chairman. His appointment as chair, on 11 November 2026, is the first time Nvidia has had one: Huang held the chief executive and president titles without a separate board chair above him.
In the press release Jones said the board “has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team” and that it expects operations, customer commitments and the product roadmap to continue without interruption. Kress said the company “will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI”.
What the Share Price Did on 12 November
Nvidia is listed on the Nasdaq in the United States, and the figures below are in US dollars. They are readings taken during an open trading session, not settled closing prices.
- Wednesday 11 November 2026 close: 173.73 dollars a share, the last full session before the announcement.
- Thursday 12 November 2026, at the opening bell: the stock fell more than 13 per cent, according to CNBC’s live coverage.
- Thursday 12 November 2026, early afternoon: around 164 dollars, down roughly 6 per cent on the day — 163.60 dollars at 2.36pm Eastern Time per stockanalysis.com, and 164.13 dollars, down 5.53 per cent, at 2.06pm Eastern Time per Nasdaq data cited by The Motley Fool.
US markets had not closed when those readings were taken, so the day’s final move is not yet on the record. Several widely repeated figures for Nvidia’s market capitalisation and for how much value it has shed since its early-October peak could not be reconciled across independent sources, and are left out here for that reason.
What Huang Has Admitted, and What Remains Allegation
These are separate categories and most coverage runs them together. Keeping them apart is the only way to read the story accurately.
Admitted by Huang. On 8 November 2026 Huang sent a message to Nvidia employees acknowledging an extramarital affair. As reported by NBC News and CBS News, he wrote: “I was unfaithful to my wife,” and, “There is no excuse for what I did.” He said he supported the board’s independent investigation. The message did not identify anyone and did not address espionage.
Reported by news organisations. The New York Times and the Financial Times reported on a memorandum from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating that American intelligence indicated Huang had been in a relationship with a business executive working as an asset of China’s intelligence service. The New York Times reported separately, on 11 November and citing five people who had worked at Nvidia, that Huang also had a relationship with an Nvidia executive who reported to him; NBC News said it had not independently verified that account. This publication has not verified either report and does not name the individuals involved, neither of whom has been charged.
Stated by Nvidia’s board. On 8 November the board said it was opening an independent investigation, including into whether Huang had fallen victim to a foreign intelligence plot, and said it had “no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised”. It retained outside counsel to run the inquiry. The board has not published findings, and the resignation announcement does not refer to the investigation.
Disputed. China’s foreign ministry called the allegations “purely unsubstantiated and directed at smearing China”. On 9 November, US President Donald Trump said Huang had told him he was unaware of the woman’s reported links to Chinese intelligence, and called him an “honorable man”.
No charges have been filed against Huang, and no court or regulator has made any finding against him. A separate United States criminal investigation into alleged chip smuggling involving Megaspeed, the Singapore-based firm at the centre of the reporting, was already under way; readers following that thread can see our earlier report on the Nvidia chip smuggling indictment, which concerns different defendants.
What Congress Has Asked For
The congressional request predates the resignation. On 4 November 2026 three House committee chairmen wrote to Huang: Brian Mast of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China, and Rick Crawford of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Their letter requested a “joint, closed-door briefing” on 18 November 2026, and asked Huang to accept that date or propose an alternative by 11 November. The chairmen wanted two subjects covered: his interactions with a Megaspeed executive whom they described, citing public reporting, as a “People’s Republic of China (PRC) intelligence asset”; and Nvidia’s security protocols against foreign adversary espionage.
The release accompanying the letter does not accuse Huang of wrongdoing. It says “recent reports raise significant national security concerns” and that it is “vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk” — the language of an inquiry rather than a conclusion.
Huang has since indicated he is willing to appear. Mast told reporters that Huang would testify before Thanksgiving, which falls on 26 November 2026, but no date has been fixed. Accounts differ on the format: the committees asked for a closed-door session, TechCrunch reported it would be held behind closed doors with a video recording and transcript, and other outlets have described it as public. Moolenaar said before the resignation that a subpoena was possible if Huang declined, and said afterwards that the resignation “does change the dynamic” around the testimony.
The Dates Now in the Diary
- Tuesday 17 November 2026: Nvidia reports third-quarter results for fiscal 2027, with the earnings call at 2pm Pacific Time. The company confirmed in its press release that this date, set in advance, stands.
- Wednesday 18 November 2026: the date the three House chairmen requested for their closed-door briefing. Fortune reported that Nvidia’s board also plans to meet on the company’s future that day; that account rests on Fortune alone.
- Thursday 26 November 2026: Thanksgiving, the informal deadline Mast gave for Huang’s appearance.
- No date set: the search for a permanent chief executive. The board has said only that it will consider internal and external candidates.
What Is Still Undecided
As of 13 November 2026, Nvidia has a chief executive who holds two jobs, a board chair in a post that did not exist three days ago, and no published explanation for why its founder left.
Several things remain open. The board’s independent investigation has produced no public findings. The terms of Huang’s departure — whether any severance or equity arrangements apply — were not disclosed in the 8-K or the press release. The format and date of the congressional briefing are unsettled. No timetable has been given for naming a permanent chief executive, and the board has not said whether Kress is a candidate for the job she is currently doing.
Nvidia’s next scheduled test is the 17 November earnings report, which will be the first time the interim chief executive answers questions about the company in public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Nvidia’s Chief Executive Now?
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer since September 2013, is interim chief executive. She is keeping the CFO role at the same time, and the board has said she will serve until a permanent successor is appointed.
Why Did Jensen Huang Resign From Nvidia?
Nvidia has not said. Its 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and its press release of 12 November 2026 both record the resignation without giving a reason. The explanations in circulation come from news reporting and from Huang’s own message to staff, not from the company.
Did Nvidia Say That National Security Was Compromised?
No. When it announced an independent investigation on 8 November 2026, the board said it had no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. The investigation has not reported its findings.
Is Nvidia’s 17 November Earnings Report Still Going Ahead?
Yes. Nvidia confirmed in its CEO transition press release that it will report third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday 17 November 2026, with the earnings call at 2pm Pacific Time.
Has Jensen Huang Been Charged With Any Offence?
No. As of 13 November 2026 no charges have been filed against him and no court or regulator has made a finding against him. Three House committee chairmen have asked him to brief them privately, which is a request for information rather than a legal proceeding.
