Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang resigns as chief executive

Nvidia said Huang had resigned as president, chief executive and a member of its board with immediate effect. He co-founded the company and had led it for 33 years, overseeing its rise from a maker of graphics chips for gamers to a central supplier of the processors used in artificial intelligence.

Chief financial officer Colette Kress will serve as interim chief executive while retaining her finance role. Nvidia said it would consider internal and external candidates for a permanent successor. The board also appointed Harvey Jones as its first chair.

The company did not give a reason for Huang’s departure. On 8 November, its board announced an independent investigation following reports that Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. The board said at the time that it had no reason to believe US national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised, and expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team.

Reuters reported that US authorities suspected a Chinese businesswoman with whom Huang had a relationship of spying for Beijing. China has denied the allegation. Huang acknowledged in a message to staff that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologised to his family; he did not name the other person.

Reuters also reported that the board met on Wednesday to consider removing Huang, citing a person familiar with the matter. That followed a New York Times report that Huang had had an affair with a senior Nvidia executive who reported to him.

Nvidia shares fell more than 10% in pre-market trading on Thursday, according to Reuters. The company said it would report its quarterly financial results on 17 November as scheduled.