Who would be next CEO at Nvidia? Top engineer and CFO favoured as candidates - CNA

Ian Buck, who oversees Nvidia’s data centre business, and CFO Colette Kress are the most likely candidates to succeed Jensen Huang as CEO, say analysts.

File photo of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang on Capitol Hill, Washington DC on Jul 28, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Nathan Howard)

SAN FRANCISCO: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has never anointed a successor, but many analysts and investors see two people as particularly likely candidates, at least for the short term: Nvidia's uber-engineer Ian Buck and chief financial officer Colette Kress.

Nvidia's board was reportedly meeting late on Wednesday (Nov 11) to decide whether to oust Huang, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, as the world's dominant supplier of AI processors grapples with reports of two extramarital affairs involving its longtime leader. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the board meeting.

Huang isn't the usual CEO. He is a charismatic, leather-jacket-wearing apostle of Nvidia chips who built the company on processors for video games, transformed it into an artificial intelligence machine, and, in turn, created the most valuable company in the world.

"Jensen Huang is a rockstar in the industry. He’s outspoken and synonymous with the Nvidia brand, and a leader like that is very hard to replace," said Anna Wu, founder of Floodlines Research in Sydney. 

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less That fear has contributed to a US$600 billion selloff of Nvidia's shares this week, now making it the world's second-most valuable company. 

On Wednesday, speculation on who might be tapped if Huang is ousted ranged from a leader of a rival chip giant, such as Arm Holdings chief Rene Haas, and 32-year Nvidia veteran Jeff Fisher, to one of Huang's two children, both of whom are executives at Nvidia.