TL;DR
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO while Harvey C. Jones chairs the board and the directors search for a permanent leader. On Nov. 13, the board said it was selecting a search firm and had not formally engaged candidates; names circulating in reports or political comments remain unconfirmed.
Nvidia’s board is still setting up its CEO search after founder Jensen Huang resigned, saying on Nov. 13 that it was selecting a search firm and had not formally engaged any potential candidates. CFO Colette Kress is interim CEO, while longtime director Harvey C. Jones has become board chair, leaving the chipmaker with temporary leadership and no public timeline for a permanent appointment.
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Nvidia’s Nov. 12 announcement and a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission establish the interim arrangement. Kress, who has been the company’s CFO since 2013, will remain in that role while serving as interim CEO until a permanent successor is named. The filing says the board appointed her while it conducts the search. It does not set a deadline for completing it.
Jones became chair on the same day. Nvidia described him as the board’s first-ever chair; the filing says he has been a director since 1993. On Nov. 13, the board told CNBC: “We are in the process of selecting a search firm for the Nvidia CEO role. We have not formally engaged any potential candidates.” That statement is the clearest public account of where the formal process stands.
Several names have surfaced, but they do not amount to confirmed candidates. Reuters reported that the Financial Times said Nvidia’s board had approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report, and Arm declined to comment. President Donald Trump separately suggested Apple executive chairman Tim Cook in a Truth Social post quoted by Reuters and Fox Business. Nvidia’s board has not publicly endorsed that suggestion in the cited material.
Leadership During the CEO Search
Nvidia’s immediate challenge is to maintain direction at a company whose products underpin a large share of the current AI computing buildout. Nvidia said operations, customer commitments and its product roadmap would continue without interruption. That is the company’s assurance; the public statements do not provide operational measures that independently demonstrate how the transition is affecting customers or staff.
The choice of a permanent CEO may also shape how Nvidia is managed after Huang’s departure. Reuters reported that some analysts expect a move toward a more institutional leadership structure, potentially changing the degree to which decisions depend on the founder’s direct involvement. That is analysis, not a stated board plan. For customers, suppliers and employees, the near-term signal is continuity under Kress; the longer-term question is how the next leader will preserve strategy while setting a different management approach.
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From Resignation to Interim Leadership
Nvidia’s Form 8-K says the board accepted Huang’s resignation as president, CEO and director on Nov. 11. The company announced Kress’s interim appointment and Jones’s chairmanship on Nov. 12, along with a search for internal and external candidates. The board’s Nov. 13 statement then clarified that a search firm was still being selected and that no candidate had been formally engaged.
The dates ahead provide near-term opportunities for the company to address employees and investors, but they are not announced CEO-search milestones. Nvidia scheduled its third-quarter results for Nov. 17, with the release expected at about 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time and a call at 2 p.m. Kress also scheduled a company meeting for employees on Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific, according to her email published by CNBC. Neither announcement supplies a date for naming a permanent CEO.
““We are in the process of selecting a search firm for the Nvidia CEO role. We have not formally engaged any potential candidates.””
— Nvidia’s board, in a statement to CNBC on November 13
Candidates and Timing Remain Open
No permanent CEO, search firm or appointment timeline has been announced in the cited material. The board says it has not formally engaged potential candidates. The report that it approached Haas remains attributed to the Financial Times via Reuters and has not been independently verified by Reuters; Arm declined to comment. The sources reviewed also do not show that Cook has been approached or is under consideration by the board.
It is also unclear whether Nvidia will choose an internal or external successor, what criteria the board will use, or whether the interim arrangement will change before an appointment. The company’s public assurance of continuity does not resolve how leadership responsibilities may evolve over the longer term.
Results and Staff Meeting Ahead
Nvidia’s next scheduled public milestone is its third-quarter results on Nov. 17, followed by the earnings call. Employees are due to meet with Kress on Nov. 18, according to the email published by CNBC. Either event could provide further information about operating priorities during the transition, but the available announcements do not promise an update on the CEO search.
The next confirmed search step is selecting a search firm. Until Nvidia announces that step, identifies formally engaged candidates or sets a timetable, reports about possible successors should be treated as unconfirmed or attributed suggestions. The board has said the process is under way, but its next public decision and the date of a permanent appointment remain unknown.
Key Questions
Who is Nvidia’s interim CEO?
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress is interim CEO. The company says she will remain CFO until a permanent successor is named.Has Nvidia hired a search firm?
The board said on Nov. 13 that it was in the process of selecting a search firm. It did not say that one had been hired.Has Nvidia formally engaged any CEO candidates?
No. The board told CNBC it had not formally engaged any potential candidates.Did Nvidia confirm a report that it approached Rene Haas?
No. Reuters reported the Financial Times account, citing people familiar with the matter, but said it could not independently verify it. Arm declined to comment.When will Nvidia name a permanent CEO?
Nvidia has given no public timeline for naming a permanent CEO.Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
