Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO, CFO Colette Kress named interim CEO by board

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is stepping down, leaving the AI industry without its biggest champion and clouding the future of the chipmaker he built into an AI powerhouse.

The aftermath of the alleged 'Chinese spy scandal' has hit Nvida, with CEO Jensen Huang opting to resign amidst mounting pressure, reported Reuters. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will take over as interim CEO as Nvidia looks for a permanent successor, the company said on Thursday.

Huang has been in the eye of a storm after it was revealed that he had an affair with Alice Huang (not his relation) a Chinese businesswoman who it is claimed is an alleged Chinese Intel asset. Jensen Huang was also reported have had another affair with a senior executive of Nvidia Kimberly Powell. Jensen Huang had acknowledged his affair with Alice Huang in a letter to Nvidia employees where he apologised for being unfaithful to his wife and violating her trust.

Nvidia's board had also initiated an investigation into the matter, with the inquiry being led by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. In May 2026 a Wall Street 'Short seller' Culper research had flagged Huang's alleged links to Alice Huang (the woman now claimed to be a Chinese Intel asset).

According to CBS News, on May 13 this year Culper Research published a 40-page report highlighting Huang's ties to Alice Huang, a former television reporter and financial industry executive. According to the report, a copy of which is with ANI, Culper research said, "Nvidia has repeatedly vouched for Megaspeed – its single largest Southeast Asian chip buyer currently under investigation by both U.S. Commerce and Singapore authorities."

"Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has not only vouched for Megaspeed, but seems to have quite literally walked alongside Megaspeed at every step, while maintaining an uncomfortably close relationship with Megaspeed’s Alice Huang, a Chinese national. He was first spotted partying with Alice Huang in June 2024 – the same month the Apex/Alibaba pledge was filed. He then dined with Alice Huang in Taiwan in May 2025 – just weeks after the news of U.S. trade restrictions. Finally, per one current Megaspeed employee, Jensen visits Megaspeed-linked data centers “every few months” and “every single time” he visits, he is accompanied by representatives from Alibaba. The Megaspeed employee characterized their relationship with Jensen as “very close”, corroborating another former Nvidia employee’s suggestion to us that many Nvidia employees wondered if there was a special relationship," the report stated. Although Jensen Huang had got the backing of US President Donald Trump he was under extreme pressure with members of the US Congress flagging potential security risk of the affair with the alleged Chinese spy.

Jensen Huang's exit puts the $4 trillion Nvidia in troubled waters and could potentially disrupt the AI industry which has been facing headwinds on the markets recently. (ANI)