Newshot 
Jensen Huang didn’t show confidence in his successor, report says
Former NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang described Collette Kress, the company’s CFO who has now replaced him as interim CEO, as “a deer in the headlights” during a presentation earlier in the summer, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an anonymous source.
Huang made the comment during a meeting with Nvidia’s finance team about the company’s plans to provide guarantees worth billions of dollars to data center operators that couldn’t afford to buy its chips upfront, according to the report.
He reportedly also said Kress was a person who couldn’t help him steer strategy or decision-making.
Kress has been with Nvidia for over 13 years now, after serving as SVP and CFO of Cisco’s Business Technology Operations Finance. The report said she has questioned Nvidia’s program-focused, credit-based deals involving Huang’s son-in-law Nico Caprez, and wanted to know how to decide which deals are beneficial, how to value guarantees, and determine returns.
Earlier in the year, she had scaled back on Nvidia’s commitment for OpenAI’s ambitious Ohio data center project. The company was in talks to provide $250 billion in credit to OpenAI, but ended up committing $105 billion.
Huang resigned Thursday after reports of two extramarital affairs, including one with the company’s VP for healthcare, Kimberly Powell. The company is also investigating a possible Chinese espionage plot.
After his resignation, Reuters reported that he was having a third affair with another employee. Nvidia is currently searching for a permanent CEO to replace Huang, who had the top job for over 33 years.
Get an Early Peek at the Next TechCrunch DisruptDisrupt, Startup Battlefield, and more will return next year, and you can be at the front of the line.Sign up for our waitlist
Newsletters
Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news
Related
- AI Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang’s ‘scheme’ with Trump Julie Bort 14 hours ago
Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang’s ‘scheme’ with Trump
- AI Muse can now place calls to US businesses — if you pay Sarah Perez 14 hours ago
Muse can now place calls to US businesses — if you pay
- AI The unfolding Jensen Huang scandal: a timeline Amanda Silberling 15 hours ago
The unfolding Jensen Huang scandal: a timeline
- Amanda Silberling
Latest in AI
- In Brief Jensen Huang didn’t show confidence in his successor, report says Ivan Mehta 10 seconds ago
Jensen Huang didn’t show confidence in his successor, report says
- AI Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang’s ‘scheme’ with Trump Julie Bort 14 hours ago
Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang’s ‘scheme’ with Trump
- AI Muse can now place calls to US businesses — if you pay Sarah Perez 14 hours ago