Shocking Resignation: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Quits Over 2 Affairs and National Security Crisis
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned effective immediately on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after a rapidly escalating scandal involving extramarital affairs and serious U.S. national security concerns. The company named longtime Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while launching a search for a permanent successor. Shares of Nvidia, one of the world’s most valuable companies and the driving force behind the AI boom, plunged about 10% in premarket trading as the news broke.
The resignation ends Huang’s 33-year run as the public face and driving force of the chipmaker he co-founded. Nvidia’s board also appointed Harvey C. Jones, a longtime director and former Synopsys CEO, as its first-ever Chair of the Board. In its official statement, the board confirmed Huang’s resignation as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board. Kress will continue serving as CFO while acting as interim CEO.
Huang faced mounting pressure after reports detailed his relationship with Alice Huang (also known as Huang Le), a former top executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed International. U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that Alice Huang was feeding information to Beijing and was an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security. The two are not related. Late Wednesday, additional reporting revealed Huang had another extramarital affair with a senior Nvidia executive who reported directly to him.
Megaspeed, which maintains a prominent partnership with Nvidia on its website, issued a statement Thursday pledging full cooperation with U.S. investigations. The company said it takes its obligations under U.S. export control laws “extremely seriously.” Chairman and CEO Tan Yong Pong (James Tan) stated that Megaspeed is committed to working constructively and transparently with the U.S. government. The firm has already cooperated with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and has hired a U.S. law firm to conduct a comprehensive census of its computer chips and verify export controls.
Nvidia itself has said it had “no reason to believe” that either national security or company secrets were compromised, though its inquiry continues to examine all available information. Details of Huang’s relationship with the former Megaspeed executive remain limited, but the New York Times and other outlets reported that U.S. intelligence discovered the close relationship and determined Alice Huang was passing information directly to Beijing. On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the FBI was investigating the matter.
The scandal has broader implications for U.S.-China technology competition. Nvidia has become the dominant supplier of chips that power artificial intelligence systems. Huang had actively lobbied Washington to loosen restrictions on sales of advanced chips to China and earlier this year secured approval to sell H200 chips there. Megaspeed previously faced allegations of illicitly shipping advanced Nvidia chips into China, though the company stated in December there was “no evidence” of such exports. Singapore has also been investigating related claims. China has denied any attempt to ensnare Huang.
Megaspeed’s rapid growth has drawn additional scrutiny. Singapore corporate records show its total assets soared roughly 90-fold from late 2023 to 2024, reaching almost US$3 billion. Revenue surged to more than US$294 million in 2024 from none the prior year. The company has positioned itself as a major customer of Nvidia GPUs for data-center computing power.
The board’s decision followed days of intense scrutiny. After Huang admitted in a company-wide message that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologized for the harm caused to his family and the company, pressure intensified with the second affair report. Sources indicated the combination of the national-security questions surrounding the Megaspeed relationship and the internal reporting-line violation proved decisive.
Colette Kress brings deep institutional knowledge. She has served as Nvidia’s CFO for more than a decade after nearly 25 years in finance roles at Cisco and Microsoft. In her first statement as interim CEO, Kress emphasized continuity: “NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years. We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead. Our focus remains on serving our customers, partners, developers and shareholders.”
Market reaction was swift and severe. Beyond the immediate 10% premarket drop, Nvidia had already lost substantial market value in the days leading up to the resignation as the scandal unfolded. Analysts noted the unique role Huang played as both technologist and charismatic public champion of AI. His departure removes one of the most visible advocates for the industry at a critical moment when competition with China over AI capabilities remains intense.
The episode highlights ongoing tensions around export controls, intelligence risks, and corporate governance at the highest levels of the technology sector. U.S. officials had raised concerns about Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang and Megaspeed’s large purchases of restricted chips. While Nvidia maintains that its internal reviews found no evidence of compromised secrets or national-security breaches, the board ultimately concluded that Huang could no longer continue in the role.
Megaspeed reiterated its readiness to demonstrate compliance through concrete actions and full cooperation with any relevant U.S. authorities. The company stressed that it operates responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with applicable U.S. laws. Meanwhile, Nvidia’s board has begun a formal search that will consider both internal and external candidates for the permanent CEO position.
Huang’s resignation marks the end of an era. Under his leadership, Nvidia transformed from a graphics-chip company into the indispensable engine of modern artificial intelligence. The leather-jacketed executive became a global celebrity in technology circles, regularly meeting world leaders and drawing massive crowds at industry events. That personal brand, once a major asset, became inseparable from the risks that ultimately forced his exit.
As interim leadership takes hold under Kress and with Jones as the new board chair, Nvidia faces the dual challenge of stabilizing investor confidence and maintaining its technological edge. The company continues to insist that day-to-day operations, customer commitments, and the product roadmap will proceed without interruption. Yet the sudden loss of its longtime leader, combined with unresolved questions about intelligence risks and internal conduct, leaves significant uncertainty hanging over one of the most important companies in the global economy.
Further developments are expected as the FBI investigation proceeds, as Megaspeed continues its cooperation with U.S. export-control authorities, and as Nvidia’s board advances its search for a permanent chief executive. For now, the clear message from the board is that the combination of personal misconduct and national-security concerns left no viable path for Huang to remain at the helm. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned, and the AI industry must now navigate the transition without the figure who defined its rise.
The coming weeks will test whether Nvidia can sustain its momentum in accelerated computing and AI under new leadership while addressing the serious questions raised by the scandal. Investors, customers, regulators, and competitors will be watching closely as the company attempts to close one of the most dramatic chapters in its history.
