🔍 Read the full analysis: What Is Reported About Nvidia’s CEO Search, And What Happens Next? on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Nvidia CFO Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO after Jensen Huang’s resignation, while director Harvey C. Jones has become the board’s first chair. The board says it is still selecting a search firm and has not formally engaged candidates; reports naming possible successors remain unconfirmed.
Nvidia’s board is still selecting a search firm to find a permanent chief executive, two days after founder Jensen Huang resigned, while CFO Colette Kress serves as interim CEO. The board said Friday that it had not formally engaged potential candidates and called speculation about individual names premature, leaving the world’s leading AI-chip company without a public timeline for a permanent successor.
Nvidia’s November 12 press release and regulatory filing identify Kress as interim CEO while she retains her roles as executive vice president and chief financial officer. The filing says the board appointed her as it conducts a search for a new CEO. Kress has been Nvidia’s CFO since 2013. The company has said its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap will continue without interruption.
The board also named Harvey C. Jones its first chair. Jones has been a director since 1993. In an email to employees reported by CNBC, Jones said the board asked Kress to serve while it searches among internal and external candidates, describing her as a key architect of Nvidia’s growth and capital strategy.
On Friday, the board told CNBC it was “in the process of selecting a search firm” and had “not formally engaged any potential candidates.” It added: “Any speculation regarding individual candidates, whether internal or external, is premature.” The statement makes clear that public reports and suggestions should not be treated as evidence that a candidate has been selected or offered the role.
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 During Nvidia’s CEO Search
The appointment matters because Nvidia’s leadership change comes during a period of high demand for its AI chips, making continuity a concern for customers, business partners and employees. The company says day-to-day operations and its product roadmap are not changing. Kress’s dual role as interim CEO and CFO also keeps financial leadership with an executive familiar with the company’s strategy while the board searches.
The longer-term question is whether Nvidia will retain the highly founder-centered leadership model associated with Huang or move toward a different structure. Reuters reported that some analysts expect a shift toward “a more institutional leadership structure.” That is an outside expectation, not a decision announced by Nvidia. The board has not described what leadership qualities it seeks or how it will weigh internal candidates against external ones.
The timing also puts the transition in front of investors and staff in quick succession. Nvidia is scheduled to report third-quarter results on November 17, followed by a company meeting for employees on November 18. The earnings release and call will be the first major public business update after the interim appointment, but the company has not said whether it will provide new details about the search at either event.
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Interim Roles and Search Process
The interim arrangement was announced in Nvidia’s November 12 press release and Form 8-K. Kress agreed to remain CFO while serving as interim CEO until a permanent successor is named. Jones, who has served on the board for more than three decades, became its first chair at the same time. The company has not announced any other changes to its executive team.
There is a difference between the board’s current account of the formal search and an earlier report. TechCrunch wrote on November 11, citing Bloomberg, that Nvidia was working with an outside firm to identify potential replacements for Huang. On November 13, however, the board said it was still selecting a search firm. The available reports do not explain the discrepancy. It is possible that preliminary work and formally engaging a firm are separate steps, but Nvidia has not confirmed that interpretation.
Names circulating publicly have different evidentiary status. The Financial Times reported that Nvidia’s board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, citing people familiar with the matter; Reuters said it could not independently verify the report. The FT also reported that Haas was one of several candidates and might not be offered the job or accept it. Arm declined to comment. Separately, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Apple executive chairman Tim Cook was “the one man to take [Huang’s] place.” That was Trump’s suggestion, not an announcement by Nvidia.
““We are in the process of selecting a search firm for the Nvidia CEO role.””
— Nvidia’s board, in a statement reported by CNBC on November 13
Candidates and Search Timing Remain Open
No permanent successor, shortlist or search timetable has been announced. Nvidia’s board says it has not formally engaged candidates, and it has not said when it expects to select a search firm or complete the process. The board has also not responded in the cited reports to Trump’s suggestion of Tim Cook.
The report that Nvidia approached Arm CEO Rene Haas remains attributed to the Financial Times’ sources; Reuters said it could not independently verify it, and Arm declined to comment. It is not clear whether any other named people have been contacted. The earlier report of work with an outside firm also remains unexplained alongside the board’s later statement that it is still selecting a firm.
It is also unknown whether Kress is being considered for the permanent position, how the board will assess internal candidates, or whether the leadership model will change. Nvidia has not said whether it will discuss the search during its earnings call or employee meeting.
Earnings and Employee Meeting Ahead
Nvidia’s next scheduled milestones are its third-quarter results on Tuesday, November 17, at about 1:20 p.m. Pacific time, followed by an earnings call at 2 p.m. Pacific time. The timing is unchanged from the company’s previous schedule. Kress told employees in an email, reported by CNBC, that Nvidia would hold a company meeting on November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
Those dates provide the next opportunities for executives to address business continuity and the leadership transition. The earnings call will be the first public appearance by company leadership after the change, while the employee meeting is intended to give staff a company-wide forum. Nvidia has not said either gathering will include details about the CEO search.
For now, Kress remains interim CEO and CFO, Jones chairs the board, and the directors say they are still setting up the formal search. The next confirmed step toward a permanent appointment will be an update from the board; no date for that update or for naming a successor has been given.
Key Questions
Who is running Nvidia now?
Colette Kress is Nvidia’s interim CEO and continues as executive vice president and CFO while the board searches for a permanent successor. Harvey C. Jones is the board’s first chair.
Has Nvidia chosen a permanent CEO?
No. The board says it is selecting a search firm and has not formally engaged potential candidates. Nvidia has not announced a shortlist or timetable.
Is Arm CEO Rene Haas confirmed as a candidate?
No. The Financial Times reported that Nvidia’s board approached Haas, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report, and Nvidia has not confirmed it.
Did Nvidia respond to Donald Trump’s suggestion of Tim Cook?
The cited reports do not include a response from Nvidia. Trump’s post was a public suggestion; it is not evidence that Cook is a candidate or that the board has considered him.
When will Nvidia next address employees and investors?
Nvidia is scheduled to report third-quarter results on November 17, 2026, with an earnings call at 2 p.m. Pacific time. The company meeting for employees is scheduled for November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific time. The company has not said whether either event will include search details.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
