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TL;DR
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor to founder Jensen Huang. The board said Nov. 13 that it was still selecting a search firm and had not formally engaged candidates, despite media reports and public suggestions naming possible contenders.
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress is serving as interim chief executive after founder Jensen Huang resigned, while the board says it is still selecting a search firm and has not formally engaged potential candidates. The board’s Nov. 13 statement leaves the timing and eventual choice of a permanent CEO open, even as reports and public comments have circulated names.
Nvidia’s Nov. 12 press release and an accompanying filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission say Kress will remain executive vice president and chief financial officer while acting as interim CEO, until a permanent successor is named. The filing says the board appointed her while it conducts a search that will consider internal and external candidates. Kress has been CFO since 2013, according to the source material.
The board also named Harvey C. Jones its chair. Nvidia described him as its first-ever chair; the filing says he has served as a director since 1993. On Friday, Nov. 13, the board told CNBC it was still choosing a search firm and had not formally engaged any prospective candidates. It added: “Any speculation regarding individual candidates, whether internal or external, is premature.”
That position contrasts with reports and suggestions about possible successors, but those do not amount to confirmed candidacies. The Financial Times reported that Nvidia’s board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, citing people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported. Arm declined to comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the report. President Donald Trump separately suggested Apple executive chairman Tim Cook in a Truth Social post. Nvidia’s board has not endorsed that suggestion in the source material.
Nvidia CEO succession · Nov 11–18, 2026
From resignation to a search with no candidate on record
What Nvidia has confirmed, what is only reported or suggested, and the next dates.
Where the search stands (schematic)
- Resignation acceptedNov 11, per Nvidia’s 8-K
- Interim leadershipKress is interim CEO and stays CFO; Jones is the first Chair
- Search firmBeing selected, the board said on Nov 13
- CandidatesNone formally engaged, per the board; names so far are only reported or suggested
- Permanent CEONo timeline given
donein progress or reportedopen
Step by step, with the source for each
- Nov 11Nvidia, 8-K: the board accepts Huang’s resignation as President, CEO and director
- Nov 12Nvidia: Kress interim CEO and still CFO; Jones first-ever Chair; search for internal and external candidates
- Nov 12Suggested: Trump on Truth Social names Apple’s Tim Cook, as quoted by Fox Business and Reuters
- Nov 12Staff email: Kress announces a company meeting, as published by CNBC
- Nov 13Reported: the FT says the board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, via Reuters. Arm: no comment
- Nov 13Board, to CNBC: “in the process of selecting a search firm”
- Nov 17Nvidia: third-quarter results at about 1:20 p.m. PT, call at 2 p.m. PT
- Nov 18Staff email: company meeting at 9 a.m. PT
Sources: Nvidia newsroom, “NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition” (Nov 12, 2026); Nvidia Form 8-K filed Nov 12, 2026 (SEC EDGAR); board statement to CNBC and Kress’s email to staff as published by CNBC (Nov 12 and 13, 2026); Financial Times report as published by Reuters (Nov 13, 2026); Trump’s Truth Social post as quoted by Fox Business and Reuters (Nov 12, 2026). The track is a schematic, not an official Nvidia process.
Animation: Powered by Thorsten Meyer AI
Leadership Stability During the Search
The appointment gives Nvidia an identified executive in charge while the board looks for a permanent CEO, and keeps Kress in her CFO role during that period. That matters to customers, suppliers, employees and business partners who need clarity about day-to-day leadership and ongoing commitments during a change at the top.
Nvidia said its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap would continue without interruption. That is the company’s stated position, not a guarantee about every future decision. A separate question is whether the permanent successor will preserve the leadership approach associated with Huang or adopt a different structure. Reuters reported that some analysts expect a move toward a more institutional leadership model; that is analysis, not a decision announced by Nvidia.
The appointment and search are also being watched against a near-term operating milestone: Nvidia’s scheduled quarterly results. Investors and business customers may hear from interim leadership before employees attend the company meeting announced for the following day. The order of those events could shape which questions receive answers first, but Nvidia has not disclosed a public timetable for choosing a permanent CEO.
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The Board’s Search Process
Nvidia’s press release says the board is initiating a search and will consider both internal and external candidates. Its later statement to CNBC, also reported by Reuters, says it is in the process of selecting a search firm and has not formally engaged any potential candidates. The board did not specify how it will assess candidates, whether it has a preferred profile, or when it expects to make an appointment.
There is a discrepancy between that update and an earlier report. TechCrunch wrote on Nov. 11, citing Bloomberg, that Nvidia was working with an outside firm to identify possible replacements for Huang. The source material does not explain how that report relates to the board’s Nov. 13 statement. An early review of names and formally hiring a firm to conduct the search could be separate steps, but that is an interpretation, not an explanation confirmed by Nvidia.
Kress’s interim appointment and Jones’s move to chair were announced Nov. 12, two days before the board’s public update on the search. The source material says Jones and Kress also wrote to employees. Jones described Kress as a key architect of Nvidia’s growth and capital strategy, while Kress said leadership would share more in the coming days.
“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 Nov. 13
Candidates and Timing Remain Open
No permanent CEO candidate has been confirmed in the source material, and Nvidia has not provided a public timetable for completing the search. The board says it has not formally engaged potential candidates. The reported approach to Rene Haas remains a report attributed to people familiar with the matter; Arm declined comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify it. Trump’s suggestion of Tim Cook is a public opinion, not evidence of a candidacy or board consideration.
The sources also do not resolve the difference between the Nov. 11 report that Nvidia was working with an outside firm and the board’s later statement that it was still selecting a search firm. The eventual role of Kress, the composition of any candidate pool, the selection criteria and the date of a permanent appointment remain unknown.
Results and Employee Meeting Ahead
Nvidia’s third-quarter results are scheduled for Nov. 17 at approximately 1:20 p.m. Pacific time, followed by an earnings call at 2 p.m. Pacific, according to the company information cited in the source material. The schedule was described as unchanged. Kress told employees that a company meeting was planned for Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific.
Those events may provide opportunities for Kress or other leaders to address operating priorities and the transition, but the source material does not say what they will discuss. The next concrete development to watch is whether Nvidia names a search firm, announces candidate steps or sets a timeline. Until then, the board’s confirmed public position is that the search remains underway and individual-candidate speculation is premature.
Key Questions
Who is Nvidia’s interim CEO?
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s CFO, is serving as 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 a firm had been hired.
Has Nvidia confirmed any candidates?
No candidate is confirmed in the source material. The board said it had not formally engaged potential candidates and called speculation about individuals premature.
Is Rene Haas confirmed as a candidate?
No. The Financial Times reported that Nvidia’s board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, citing people familiar with the matter. Arm declined to comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
When are Nvidia’s next company events?
Nvidia’s third-quarter results are scheduled for Nov. 17, 2026, with a company meeting for employees planned for Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific time. The source material gives no date for naming a permanent CEO.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
