Jensen Huang resigned as CEO of Nvidia after the scandals that broke out in recent days over his extramarital affairs, one with an alleged Chinese spy and another with an employee. His sudden exit now casts a shadow over the future of the chip manufacturing company that Huang himself had transformed into a powerhouse in the artificial intelligence sector.
Famous for his leather jackets, Huang is 63 years old and one of the richest men in the world, also thanks to his 3.6% stake in Nvidia, the largest company in the world by market capitalization.
In recent hours the company said in a statement that it is “heavily dependent on the services of its long-standing management team” and that failure to implement effective succession planning could “hamper strategic planning, execution and long-term success”. Huang’s step backwards arrived shortly after, which sanctioned the rift between the CEO and the company. The manager will not remain on the board of directors. Colette Kress, 59, former financial director since 2013, has been appointed interim CEO in Huang’s place. Nvidia shares are currently down around 7%.
The scandals of Nvidia’s big boss
In recent days, Nvidia’s number one had admitted an extramarital affair, apologizing for having betrayed the trust of his family and his employees. According to US newspapers, in addition to the liaison with the alleged Chinese spy, the CEO of the tech giant also had a flirtation with a senior Nvidia executive responsible for the company’s healthcare sector.