Nvidia's New Leaders Tell Staff: Full Speed Ahead After Jensen Huang

Nvidia's board will consider both internal and external candidates in its search for a permanent CEO, according to an internal memo from newly appointed board chair Harvey Jones, after cofounder Jensen Huang resigned from the company he led for more than three decades.

Interim CEO Colette Kress and Jones addressed the leadership shake-up in separate memos sent to employees Thursday, according to internal documents obtained by Business Insider. Kress, who served as chief financial officer for over 13 years before the appointment, announced that leadership will host a company meeting on November 18 at 9am PT to discuss Nvidia's future.

The memos map out a two-track response: reassure a workforce rattled by an abrupt departure, and run a formal succession process that keeps the chip giant's commercial commitments on schedule.

What did Colette Kress tell employees?

Kress opened her memo with a statement of confidence in the company and its people. "I believe deeply in this company and in its future. More than anything, I believe in each of you, in our customers and partners and in the vital role we play every day in the global economy," she wrote.

She acknowledged the strain of the transition period. "The Board, Estaff and I recognize that this has been an extraordinarily difficult period and I want you to know how grateful we are for your resilience, professionalism and continued dedication. Thank you," Kress wrote.

The interim CEO framed the company's roughly 30-year record as the product of daily employee effort, telling staff: "This company has achieved so much because of the work that all of you bring to it every single day. You are our greatest strength."

Kress gave employees the first concrete date of the new era. "You will hear more from leadership in the coming days about our future together, and we will host a company meeting on November 18 at 9am PT," she wrote.

She closed by tying Nvidia's work to the artificial-intelligence boom, the market that has driven the company's dominance in accelerated computing. "We play a vital role in building the technology that is powering the AI revolution, and we have important work ahead of us. So let's move forward together, with the same determination and commitment that have always defined this company," Kress wrote.

What did Harvey Jones reveal about the succession?

Jones, whom the memo identifies as the first-ever chair of Nvidia's board, confirmed the mechanics of the transition. "Jensen has resigned as CEO and Board Member, and the Board has asked our Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress to serve as interim CEO while it conducts a search for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates," he wrote.

The new chair built the case for Kress as caretaker. "As CFO for over 13 years, Colette has been a key architect of NVIDIA's growth and capital strategy. She possesses a deep understanding of this business and the markets in which we operate," Jones wrote. He added: "The Board has full confidence in Colette to deliver on our commitments to shareholders, customers, partners, and to each of you."

Jones credited Huang's tenure in expansive terms. "Jensen's contributions to NVIDIA are profound. NVIDIA is one of the most consequential technology companies in the world. We pioneered accelerated computing, defined the modern GPU, and built the platform that powered artificial intelligence," he wrote.

He also framed the board's role in fiduciary language. "The Board takes seriously our duty as stewards of this great company," Jones wrote.

Why does the November 18 meeting matter?

The all-hands meeting on November 18 will be the first full-company forum since Huang's departure, and it gives Kress a stage to present the leadership's plan before a permanent CEO is named. Jones pointed to the assets he says will carry the company through the transition: "The strength of this company resides in our employees, leadership team, technical strength and partner ecosystem."

He ended on a forward note. "I am confident that under Colette's leadership, with the full support of the Board, we will continue to grow our business, and lead the industry forward," Jones wrote.

With the board searching both inside and outside the company, Nvidia enters the coming weeks with a CFO-turned-interim-CEO at the helm, a first-ever board chair overseeing the succession, and a workforce told to keep building the hardware behind the AI boom.