Jensen Huang resigns: NVIDIA names Kress interim CEO

Jensen Huang resign confirmed: NVIDIA's co-founder quits after 33 years and CFO Colette Kress becomes interim CEO. What happened and what it means for gamers.

FireGhost

November 12, 2026, 06:30 PM5 min read

Contents9 sections

Jensen Huang resign news is now official: the co-founder has left NVIDIA after 33 years in charge. NVIDIA's CEO transition announcement on November 12 says he stepped down as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately.

CFO Colette Kress takes over as interim CEO. It is the first leadership change at the company behind GeForce and DLSS since its founding. Only weeks ago the talk was about RTX 5080 prices passing $2,000. Now the focus has moved to the boardroom.

How was the Jensen Huang resign decision announced?

The statement came from NVIDIA's board. Huang left all of his roles at once. The board has started a search for a permanent CEO and will look at internal and external candidates.

The board also named its first-ever chair, former Synopsys CEO Harvey C. Jones. Jones said the board has full confidence in Kress and the leadership team. He added that customer commitments and the product roadmap will continue without interruption.

Kress kept her message short. She said the team will build on the foundation Huang created over 33 years. Her focus, she said, stays on customers, partners, developers and shareholders.

NVIDIA leadership change at a glance

Leaving: Jensen Huang (co-founder, president and CEO)
Interim CEO: Colette Kress (CFO since 2013)
New board chair: Harvey C. Jones
Date: November 12, 2026, effective immediately
Next key date: Q3 fiscal 2027 results on November 17

What led to the resignation?

NVIDIA's own release does not explain why Huang left. The process had been building for days, though. A November 10 statement from NVIDIA's independent directors said the board had hired former acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and the firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to run an independent investigation.

According to Tom's Hardware's report on the resignation, the move follows allegations that Huang had two extramarital affairs. The report says one involved an executive whom U.S. intelligence officials suspect of links to China. None of this appears in NVIDIA's statement.

Markets reacted fast. PocketGamer.biz reported that NVIDIA shares fell around 8% in after-hours trading on news that the board was weighing Huang's future. The same report says Huang owns about 3.6% of the company.

What does it mean for PC gamers?

In the short term, gamers are unlikely to notice a change. The board stressed that the roadmap stays in place. On the same day, the GeForce NOW team carried on with its usual Thursday news.

NVIDIA's November 12 GFN Thursday post says Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on Steam on December 3 and is coming to GeForce NOW. War Thunder's Eagle's Shadow update in mid-November also adds DLSS 5. That matches the plan in our story on DLSS 5 coming to War Thunder.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV key art with Ork and Space Marine warriors — Dawn of War IV is coming to GeForce NOW (Source: NVIDIA Blog)

The bigger question is long-term direction. Huang turned a graphics card maker into an AI giant. How much weight the new leadership gives gaming is still unclear. The October Steam Hardware Survey results show that most PC players still rely on NVIDIA cards.

The first real signal may come on November 17. NVIDIA reports its third-quarter results at about 1:20 p.m. PT (21:20 UTC), with the earnings call at 2 p.m. PT (22:00 UTC). It will be Kress's first big test as interim CEO.

If you want to get more out of your GeForce card today, our guide on how to enable NVIDIA Reflex still applies. We will update this story as the CEO search moves forward.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Jensen Huang resign?

NVIDIA's official statement does not give a reason. Tom's Hardware and PocketGamer.biz report that it follows allegations about two extramarital affairs and an independent investigation launched by the board.

Who is NVIDIA's new CEO?

CFO Colette Kress is now interim CEO and keeps her finance role until a permanent successor is named. The board will consider internal and external candidates.

Will GeForce cards and DLSS 5 be affected?

NVIDIA says its product roadmap will continue without interruption. A same-day GeForce NOW post also confirmed DLSS 5 is coming to War Thunder and Where Winds Meet.