Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been removed from the legendary chipmaker he founded following revelations that he had affairs with a suspected Chinese “spy” as well as a company executive.
The Silicon Valley firm announced Thursday, November 12, that Huang, 63, was resigning as chief executive, president and a member of the board, effective immediately.
It followed reports that the board held emergency meetings late Wednesday, November 11, following news of a second extramarital affair.
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer and executive vice president, will serve as interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a permanent successor.
Kress has been with the company for 13 years and will also continue to serve in her current roles during the search, which will consider both internal and external candidates.
Harvey Jones, a venture capitalist and former CEO of Synopsys, will serve as the first-ever chairman of the board.
Huang co-founded the chipmaking giant 33 years ago.
On Sunday, November 8, Huang admitted he was unfaithful to his wife of over 40 years and college sweetheart, Lori Huang.
“There is no excuse for what I did,” Huang wrote in an email to staffers at the time.
He also vowed to his colleagues, partners and shareholders that he would “work to earn back your confidence.”
Huang’s position at the top of Nvidia had been precarious since the bombshell report on Oct. 29, which claimed he had developed a “close relationship” with alleged Chinese spy Alice Huang.
US intelligence concluded that Alice Huang dined with the Nvidia CEO, but was secretly funnelling information to Beijing, according to sources briefed on classified intelligence findings.