Meet Colette Kress, Nvidia's New Interim CEO

Nvidia's longtime chief financial officer helped transform the company into an AI powerhouse. Now she's taking the reins following Jensen Huang's resignation on Thursday.

By Lauren Goode and Louise Matsakis | November 12, 2026 | Business

Nvidia's longtime chief financial officer, Colette Kress, has been named interim CEO following the resignation of Jensen Huang on Thursday, the company announced. The move marks a significant leadership transition for the semiconductor giant, which has become the defining hardware supplier of the AI era.

Kress, who has served as Nvidia's CFO since 2013, is widely credited with helping to transform the company from a niche graphics-chip maker into one of the world's most valuable corporations. During her tenure, Nvidia's data center revenue exploded as demand for its GPUs—particularly the H100, H200, and the newer Blackwell and Rubin architectures—surged across the AI industry.

A Steady Hand at the Financial Helm

Before joining Nvidia, Kress held senior finance roles at Cisco Systems and Microsoft, giving her deep experience in enterprise technology and global operations. At Nvidia, she became a trusted lieutenant to Huang, managing investor relations through the company's most dramatic period of growth and volatility.

Her appointment as interim CEO comes at a delicate moment. Nvidia faces intensifying competition from custom AI accelerators developed by hyperscalers, ongoing export restrictions affecting its China business, and the challenge of sustaining growth as the first wave of AI infrastructure spending matures.

What Comes Next

Nvidia's board has not yet indicated whether Kress will be considered for the permanent CEO role or whether the company will conduct an external search. Analysts will be watching closely for signs of strategic continuity—particularly around Nvidia's CUDA software ecosystem, its expanding networking business, and its push into robotics and autonomous systems.

Huang, who co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led it for more than three decades, did not immediately disclose his reasons for stepping down. In a brief statement, he said the company is "in the strongest position in its history" and expressed confidence in Kress's leadership.

Kress, for her part, said in a statement that Nvidia's strategy "remains unchanged" and that the company will continue investing in the full stack of AI computing—from chips and systems to software and services. "Our customers and partners should expect the same focus, urgency, and execution they have always seen from Nvidia," she said.

via Wired AI