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Jensen Huang has resigned from his role as the head of the AI chipmaker Nvidia over his reported affair with a suspected Chinese spy, the company announced on Thursday.
Colette Kress, the company’s current executive vice president and chief financial officer, has been named as interim CEO.
“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,” Kress said in a statement.
Shares in Nvidia, one of the world’s biggest companies, plummeted 13% at the opening of trading on Thursday. The latest declines mean Nvidia has now lost about $800 billion (€721.4 bln) since the reports came to light.
Why did Jensen Huang resign?
Huang resigned after facing growing calls to step down over his reported affair with an alleged Chinese spy.
Nvidia had been investigating whether Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort after reports of an affair with a woman US intelligence reportedly identified as a Chinese intelligence asset.
In an email to Nvidia staff on Sunday, Huang said: “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Huang also had an affair with an Nvidia executive who worked for him.
Who is Jensen Huang?
Huang, 63, co-founded Nvidia, which he led for more than three decades, turning it from a maker of graphics cards used in PC gaming into the dominant supplier of chips for artificial intelligence.
Huang, who holds a stake of about 3.61% — making him Nvidia’s fourth-largest investor — will also leave the board.
