Jensen Huang Steps Down as Head of Nvidia, Shares Drop Over 10%

American Nvidia (NVDA), one of the largest manufacturers of processors for artificial intelligence, announced on November 12, 2026, the immediate resignation of co-founder Jensen Huang. He stepped down from his positions as president, CEO, and board member. Following the announcement, the company's shares fell by more than 10% in pre-market trading.

Colette Kress temporarily leads Nvidia

Colette Kress has been appointed as the acting CEO, who will continue to serve as CFO until a permanent leader is chosen. Kress has held the financial position at Nvidia since September 2013. Before that, she worked at Cisco and Microsoft. The board of directors has begun the search for a successor among internal and external candidates.

For the first time in Nvidia's history, Harvey Jones, who previously led Synopsys, became the chairman of the board. He stated that operational activities, commitments to clients, and product release plans should continue without interruption.

Nvidia shares lost over 10% in pre-market

According to Investing.com, as of 16:55 MSK on November 12, Nvidia shares were down 10.73%, to $155.09, compared to the previous session's close at $173.73. The day before, the shares had gained 2.87%. Pre-market trading quotes can change significantly before the main session opens.

The resignation was preceded by reports of Huang's personal circumstances and an investigation initiated by the board of directors on November 8. Nvidia stated that it was checking reports of a possible attempt at foreign intelligence influence. At the time of the resignation announcement, the company had not published the investigation's findings.

Nvidia's next report will be released on November 17

The leadership change occurred just days before the release of financial results for the third quarter of the 2027 fiscal year. Nvidia confirmed that it will present the report on November 17, as planned. The board of directors did not name a date for appointing a permanent CEO.