Oliver Haslam on November 12, 2026, 4:33 pm

Jensen Huang Quits As Nvidia CEO Following Chinese Spy Scandal

Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia, is no longer the company’s CEO after stepping down following the revelation that he had been involved in extramarital affairs — including one with a woman who had been accused of being a spy for China.

The affair with Alice Huang (no relation,) a former managing director of AI firm Megaspeed, is the most problematic for Nvidia.

United States intelligence officials have long believed that Huang could be a Chinese asset, and the prospect of her passing sensitive information to the Chinese government is understandably a huge concern. China, for its part, denies the accusation.

Now, Nvidia has released a statement announcing a new CEO transition, with Huang stepping down as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the board, effective immediately. The company detailed its next steps, including the appointment of Colette Kress as an interim CEO while the search for a permanent successor for Jensen Huang is undertaken.

Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NVIDIA, has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Kress will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer while serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer until a permanent successor has been named. The Board is initiating a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer and will consider internal and external candidates.

Nvidia, formerly a gaming GPU company, has transitioned towards building AI chips and data centers. But its chips can only be sold to whitelisted companies, and they cannot be exported to China as a whole thanks to U.S. government restrictions.