# Nvidia charts course after Huang's resignation

> With Jensen Huang gone, interim CEO Colette Kress and the board must stabilize the chip giant and prepare for leadership succession.
- Title: Nvidia charts course after Huang's resignation | Shortify
- Summary: With Jensen Huang gone, interim CEO Colette Kress and the board must stabilize the chip giant and prepare for leadership succession.
- Keywords: nvidia, jensen huang, colette kress, ceo resignation, leadership crisis, chip manufacturing, corporate governance, earnings call, succession planning, trust recovery, management, Harvard Business Review
- Source: Harvard Business Review — https://hbr.org/2026/11/how-nvidia-can-move-forward-without-its-founder
- Author: Juan Martinez
- Published: 2026-11-13T21:40:08+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: nvidia, jensen huang, colette kress, ceo resignation, leadership crisis, chip manufacturing, corporate governance, earnings call, succession planning, trust recovery, business, management
## Huang resigns amid scandal
On November twelve, Jensen Huang resigned as CEO of Nvidia after allegations he had affairs with multiple women, including a possible Chinese spy. The board named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO.
## Board appoints new leadership structure
Harvey Jones became Nvidia's first-ever board chair. The company must stabilize its forty two thousand person business before an earnings call scheduled for November seventeen.
## Kress brings stability credentials
Colette Kress has been at Nvidia for thirteen years with strong technology background at Cisco and Microsoft. As CFO, she has established relationships with Wall Street and investors through earnings calls.
## Honesty about unknowns matters most
Management should say "We don't know that yet" when that is the truth. People understand investigations are underway and want to hear the steps the company is taking in its own investigation.

> We don't know that yet
## Board must examine governance gaps
The board needs to understand what information reached the company, when it arrived, and how it was handled. These questions reach directly into board responsibilities for hiring and firing the CEO.
## Earnings call message: steady as we go
Leadership must show that behind Huang is an extremely capable organization with a powerful engine for creating chips and established relationships worldwide. The interim CEO must demonstrate the firm's capabilities.

> steady as we go
## Address broader security concerns
The leadership team must be clear about cooperating with investigations and recognize concerns about information disclosure, implications for Nvidia, the AI industry, U.S. national security, and international relationships.
## Separate leader from organization
Nvidia has thousands of employees who built an extraordinarily successful chip business. Huang may have had the vision, but many people did the work. The board must understand those contributions.
## Newer directors bring fresh perspective
Newer board members could help lead internal discussions about where the organization's strengths are and what needs to change. They see things with new eyes and ask fundamental questions.
## Trust crisis unfolds in four dimensions
People assess competence, motives, means, and impact. In this crisis, people start with impact and work backward, asking what kind of person would do this and whether other business relationships raise concerns.
## Rebuild through existing relationships
Nvidia must reach out through account managers and existing customer relationships. Employees need to be equipped to explain what the firm is doing, what they knew, and what they didn't know.
## Outside successor more likely than internal
Huang's large number of direct reports raises questions about whether people had enough authority to prepare for the CEO job. An internal appointment seems less likely. The board should commit to building its bench.
## Successor needs technical depth and resilience
A new CEO must understand Nvidia's difficult, high-precision chip business and be able to live with uncertainty. They must be comfortable with continuing scrutiny and the possibility of testifying before Congress.
## Keep strong executives engaged during search
The board must identify people it wants to stay and reassure them about their value and future role. Enlisting their help and making clear how valuable their contribution will be keeps them invested in recovery.
## Key takeaway

Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO on November twelve after a scandal involving alleged affairs. The board named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO and must stabilize the forty two thousand person company before an earnings call on November seventeen.