Colette Kress takes temporary helm of Nvidia after Huang's exit

Colette Kress, 59-year-old CFO of Nvidia, has temporarily taken the helm of the US tech giant following the resignation of co-founder and longtime CEO Jensen Huang on Thursday. The company is now searching for a permanent successor after Huang's three-decade tenure. Kress joined Nvidia in 2013 after a career at Microsoft, Cisco, and Texas Instruments, and holds a finance degree and MBA. She became a billionaire in 2025 through her Nvidia stock holdings, with Forbes estimating her wealth at $1.2 billion in mid-2026. Known as a pragmatic manager, she reportedly challenged Huang's risky investment plans, including a $250 billion OpenAI data center project later reduced to $120 billion. Huang's departure followed a scandal involving relationships with three women, including a Chinese businesswoman suspected of espionage and two Nvidia employees. Kress has been participating in calls to reassure customers and suppliers, with analysts noting her financial expertise may stabilize the company but may not match Huang's visionary leadership. Potential permanent successors include Nvidia's Ian Buck, AMD's Lisa Su, and Arm's Rene Haas.