The key facts

  • Jensen Huang, who led Nvidia for 33 years, resigned as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately
  • CFO Colette Kress, who has been with the company since 2013, has been appointed interim CEO
  • Trump suggested Tim Cook for the role; earlier, Yale School of Management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld named Cook as a candidate in a Time column

Huang's resignation and the interim leader

Nvidia announced on Thursday that Jensen Huang had stepped down as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately. He had led the company for 33 years. The resignation was reported by Anadolu and TechCrunch; according to Anadolu, the decision came against the backdrop of an independent investigation into reports that Huang may have been the target of a foreign intelligence operation. Nvidia has not publicly disclosed the circumstances of his departure; earlier, its board of directors said it trusted Huang and had no reason to believe that US national security or the company's trade secrets had been compromised. CFO Colette Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013, has been appointed interim CEO and is expected to retain her current financial responsibilities during the transition period. The company said it will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent position.

Trump names a successor

US President Donald Trump reacted to the resignation on his Truth Social account: “Now that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who did a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one person who can take his place — Tim Cook of Apple. A legend succeeds a legend” (the quote is cited by Gazeta.Ru and TechCrunch). TechCrunch notes that Trump is not the only one naming Cook as a candidate: the day before, on Wednesday, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management, who studies corporate governance, published a column in Time in which he listed Cook among possible candidates, noting his “unmatched experience in founder succession longer than most lifetimes” — a reference to succeeding Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple. The outlet adds, however, that it is unknown whether Trump shares this view or simply voiced an idea that came to mind.

Cook's current status

Trump's phrasing “Tim Cook of Apple” requires clarification: Cook stepped down as Apple's CEO on September 1, 2026, after 15 years at the helm of the company, handing the post to John Ternus, but remained on the board of directors as executive chairman. In that capacity he continues to engage with global regulators and manage Apple's international relations, including relations with China. In this connection, TechCrunch quips that the nickname “Tim Nvidia” doesn't sound as good as the “Tim Apple” that stuck to Cook. Neither Cook's nor Nvidia's position on Trump's proposal is reported in the publications.