Who could take the reins at Nvidia if its billionaire boss Jensen Huang is ousted? - IOL
Nvidia co-founder and chief executive Jensen Huang faces growing scrutiny as speculation mounts over who could replace him.
Nvidia's board reportedly met on Wednesday to discuss the future of co-founder and chief executive Jensen Huang, amid growing scrutiny over his personal relationships and reports linking one of the women involved to suspected Chinese intelligence activity.
The 63-year-old technology executive, who has led the artificial intelligence chip giant since co-founding it in 1993, has come under pressure following reports of multiple extramarital affairs. One involved Alice Huang, a data centre executive who US intelligence officials reportedly suspect of working for China's Ministry of State Security.
With Huang's position under scrutiny and no publicly named successor, speculation is mounting over who could take charge of one of the world's most important AI companies if the board decides to remove him.
Here are some of the names being discussed as potential successors.
With more than 40,000 employees, Nvidia could turn to an internal candidate to take the helm, potentially choosing from among Huang's senior executives.
Technology publications have frequently mentioned chief financial officer Colette Kress as a possible interim successor, given her position within the company's senior leadership.
Another longtime Nvidia executive is Ian Buck, who oversees the company's data centre business. He played a key role in developing the software that has helped keep Nvidia's chips in high demand.
Business magazine Inc. has also identified Nvidia's vice-president of applied deep learning research, Bryan Catanzaro, as a possible candidate.
Huang could also potentially look to his own family for a successor, with both of his children working at Nvidia.
His daughter Madison Huang is a senior director of product marketing at the company and has featured in speculation about its future leadership.
She previously spent several years working in marketing at luxury goods group LVMH.
Huang's son Spencer Huang is also employed by Nvidia, where he works as a director of product management in its robotics division.
Another name mentioned in succession speculation is Huang's distant relative, Lisa Su. She is his first cousin once removed and has considerable semiconductor industry experience as the longtime chief executive of rival chipmaker AMD.
Su is not the only technology executive whose name has surfaced in discussions about a possible replacement for Huang.
Rene Haas, chief executive of British chip design company Arm, is another potential candidate mentioned by technology publications.
Speculation has also included former Apple chief executive Tim Cook, who stepped down from leading the technology giant in August after 15 years at the helm.
