Nvidia officially enters the post-Jensen Huang era: Who will succeed him?
On November 12, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned as president, CEO, and director, effective immediately, ending his 33-year tenure at the helm
The board appointed current CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO (while continuing as CFO)
It also appointed Harvey C. Jones as the first chairman of the board in the company's history
The search for a permanent CEO has begun, with both internal and external candidates under consideration
Huang had previously been exposed for multiple extramarital affairs, prompting the board to launch an investigation
The company has long lacked a clear succession plan. Huang himself once publicly said he did not believe in formal succession arrangements and hoped the next CEO would already be inside the company
Several names are frequently mentioned as top contenders
Colette Kress: Interim CEO, joined in 2013 and has been CFO for 13 years; she has extensive financial and operational experience and is well known to the market, but has a relatively weak technical background
Ian Buck: Head of hyperscale and high-performance computing businesses and one of the key drivers behind CUDA; he has a strong technical pedigree and has repeatedly led on prediction markets such as Polymarket
Rene Haas: Arm CEO, previously worked at Nvidia for about 7 years, with advantages in industry and customer relationships
Tim Cook: Publicly recommended by Trump, who called it “a legend succeeding a legend,” but his age and current role are obstacles
Other external names include AMD's Lisa Su and former Intel executives; co-founder Chris Malachowsky has also been mentioned, but is considered unlikely
The board has clearly stated that it has not formally hired an executive search firm or formally approached any candidates
The sudden end of the 33-year “one-man company” model means Nvidia must find someone capable of shouldering the responsibility across multiple dimensions, including technology, customers, Washington ties, and supply chains
Honestly, it's hard to say who can truly fill the position Huang leaves behind, but I feel the chances of an outsider taking over are almost zero. My guess is that it will most likely be Ian Buck, after all, he's a hot favorite on prediction markets
