TL;DR
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO, and director Harvey C. Jones is the company’s first board chair after Jensen Huang’s resignation. The board says it is selecting a search firm and has not formally engaged any candidates; reports and political suggestions have named potential successors, but Nvidia has given no timetable for a permanent appointment.
Nvidia has not formally engaged a candidate to succeed Jensen Huang as CEO, the board said on November 13, two days after accepting his resignation. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is interim CEO while the board selects a search firm, leaving the company’s permanent leadership and the timing of a decision unresolved.
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Nvidia’s November 12 announcement and a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission set out the interim arrangement. Kress, who has been the company’s CFO since 2013, will continue in that role while serving as interim CEO, the company said, until a permanent successor is named. The filing says the board appointed her while it searches for a new chief executive. Nvidia has not announced a deadline for the appointment.
The board also named Harvey C. Jones as chair. Nvidia described him as its first-ever board chair; the filing says he has served as a director since 1993. The appointments put an experienced finance executive in day-to-day interim leadership and a long-serving director in the board’s top role as the search begins.
On November 13, the board told CNBC it was “in the process of selecting a search firm” and had “not formally engaged any potential candidates.” That statement sets the clearest public account of the search’s stage. The Financial Times reported that the board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, citing people familiar with the matter, according to Reuters. Arm declined to comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the report. The FT report said Haas was one of several candidates and that there was no guarantee he would be offered the job or accept it.
Leadership During a CEO Search
Nvidia’s CEO decision matters because the company’s leadership affects its employees, customers, suppliers and partners as it manages a major business and its product plans. Nvidia said its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap would continue without interruption under the interim arrangement. That is the company’s stated position; the sources available do not provide evidence of operational disruption.
The succession also raises a question about how the company will be led after Huang. Reuters reported that some analysts expect a move from Huang’s hands-on approach toward a more institutional leadership structure. That is an expectation attributed to analysts, not a decision Nvidia has announced. The board’s eventual choice will show whether it favors continuity through an internal appointment, a leader from outside the company, or a different model.
For businesses that rely on Nvidia products, the near-term signals are continuity and an interim leader with extensive experience at the company. The lasting effect of the search is less settled: a CEO change can affect priorities and leadership structure, but Nvidia has not disclosed a candidate, selection criteria or proposed changes to its strategy.
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From Resignation to Interim Leadership
Nvidia’s Form 8-K says the board accepted Huang’s resignation as president, CEO and director on November 11. On November 12, the company announced Kress as interim CEO and Jones as board chair, and said it would search for a permanent chief executive from inside or outside Nvidia. The board’s November 13 statement then clarified that the search firm was still being selected and that no potential candidates had been formally engaged.
Names entered public discussion through different channels and do not carry the same status. The reported approach to Haas came from the Financial Times, as relayed by Reuters, and has not been independently verified by Reuters. President Donald Trump separately wrote on Truth Social that “there is only one man to take his place – TIM COOK of Apple,” according to Reuters and Fox Business. Cook is Apple’s executive chairman. Nvidia’s board has not commented on Trump’s suggestion in the cited reports.
Nvidia has scheduled its third-quarter results for November 17, with the announcement expected at about 1:20 p.m. Pacific time and a call at 2 p.m. Pacific, according to the company’s schedule in the source material. Kress also told staff there would be a company meeting on November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific, in an email published by CNBC. Those dates are near-term company events, not announced milestones for selecting a CEO.
““We have not formally engaged any potential candidates.””
— Nvidia’s board, in a statement to CNBC on November 13
No Candidate or Deadline Yet
Nvidia has not named a permanent successor, disclosed a timeline for the search or said when it expects to appoint a CEO. The board has not formally engaged candidates, according to its November 13 statement, and has not commented in the cited coverage on Trump’s suggestion of Cook.
The reported contact with Haas remains a media report attributed to people familiar with the matter. Arm declined to comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the report. The sources also do not establish whether Haas is being considered, whether any other people have been approached, or what criteria the board will use. Analysts’ expectations about a more institutional structure are commentary, not a stated Nvidia plan.
Results and Staff Meeting Ahead
The next scheduled public milestone is Nvidia’s third-quarter results on November 17, followed by the company’s earnings call. Kress’s staff meeting is scheduled for November 18. Those events may provide updates on operations or leadership, but Nvidia has not said they will include news about the CEO search.
For now, the board says it is selecting a search firm, Kress remains interim CEO and CFO, and no permanent successor has been formally engaged. The next confirmed step in the succession process will depend on the board; no public appointment date has been set.
Key Questions
Who is running Nvidia now?
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s CFO, is serving as interim CEO and will remain CFO until a permanent successor is named, the company said.
Has Nvidia hired a CEO search firm?
As of the board’s November 13 statement, Nvidia was selecting a search firm. The board did not say it had formally hired one.
Is Rene Haas confirmed as a candidate?
No. The Financial Times reported an approach to Arm CEO Rene Haas, according to Reuters, which said it could not independently verify the report. Nvidia has said it has not formally engaged any potential candidates.
Did Nvidia choose Tim Cook as its next CEO?
No. President Donald Trump suggested Cook in a Truth Social post, but Nvidia’s board has not announced a decision about him. Cook is Apple’s executive chairman.
When will Nvidia name a permanent CEO?
Nvidia has not announced a timeline. Its next scheduled company events are third-quarter results on November 17 and an employee meeting on November 18.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
