GoKawiilWSJ: Jensen Huang privately doubted CFO Collette Kress before she became interim Nvidia CEO
The Wall Street Journal reports, citing an anonymous source, that former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called CFO Collette Kress 'a deer in the headlights' during a summer finance meeting about billions in guarantees for data center operators. He reportedly also said she couldn't help him with strategy or decision-making. Kress, who has worked at Nvidia over 13 years, has now taken over as interim CEO following Huang's resignation after reports of extramarital affairs and a Chinese espionage investigation.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The reported remarks could complicate Kress's standing as interim CEO at a moment when Nvidia needs stability amid scrutiny over Huang's personal conduct and a security probe. Her past pushback on credit-heavy deals, including scaling back Nvidia's OpenAI commitment from $250 billion to $105 billion, suggests she may bring more caution to financial risk-taking than Huang favored. How the board weighs these dynamics could shape who Nvidia ultimately picks as permanent CEO.
- WSJ reports Huang privately criticized Kress's leadership ability before she became interim CEO.
- Kress had reportedly questioned Nvidia's credit-based deals tied to Huang's son-in-law and scaled back the OpenAI Ohio commitment.
- Huang resigned amid reports of multiple affairs and an ongoing Chinese espionage investigation; Nvidia is searching for a permanent CEO.
Source: techcrunch.com — Ivan Mehta, 2026-11-13
Published there as: “Jensen Huang didn’t show confidence in his successor, report says”
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