Huang Out? Nvidia's Board Is Reportedly Preparing to Remove Its Founder
Nvidia's board is preparing to oust Jensen Huang, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, November 11, citing people familiar with the matter.
Directors could meet as soon as Wednesday to decide his future. Nvidia had yet to announce a departure or name an interim CEO, and the company didn't immediately respond to Reuters. Shares fell more than 7% in after-hours trading following the reports.
On Sunday, November 8, Nvidia's board publicly backed Huang while opening an independent inquiry into reports that he'd been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. Huang acknowledged in a note to employees that he'd been unfaithful. Then on Wednesday, November 11, The New York Times reported a second alleged affair, this time with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of health care and one of Huang's direct reports. The Times cited five people who'd worked at the company.
The direct reporting line gives the board a question it can answer from Nvidia's own records. When did directors learn of the alleged relationship, and how did the company handle any potential conflict? That question sits alongside the original inquiry into Huang's relationship with former Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence reportedly believed was gathering information for Beijing. China denies the allegation.
Nvidia's board said on November 8 it had no reason at that point to believe company secrets or national security had been compromised. On Tuesday, November 10, its independent directors named former acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim to lead the review.
Who runs Nvidia if Jensen goes?
Huang has led Nvidia since co-founding it in 1993. He built an unusually flat organization with dozens of executives reporting directly to him. He's also been the person selling Nvidia's roadmap to its biggest customers and making its case on chip exports in Washington. There's no obvious publicly identified successor. An interim CEO could take over the earnings call. Taking over those relationships is a different job. And Nvidia's reach goes well beyond the chips.
It owns a stake in CoreWeave, a cloud provider that buys Nvidia hardware. CoreWeave is now preparing a multibillion-dollar loan backed by computing equipment to fund another buildout. That's one example of how tightly chip sales, cloud capacity and financing are tied together. The question for the wider AI trade is whether a leadership shake-up changes which projects Nvidia is willing to back, and on what terms.
November 11 gave us both sides of that market in a single session. Nvidia rose during regular trading as CoreWeave's earnings helped ease fears about AI spending. Then the board report hit and Nvidia sank after hours. Customers can still want more computing power while shareholders rethink how much they're willing to pay for the company at the center of the buildout.
If the board moves, the first headline will be who gets the job. The more consequential question is how much authority comes with it. Someone has to sign off on the next big financing deal, decide how Nvidia approaches China, and explain to Congress how the company polices access to its technology. For 33 years, everyone knew whose call that was.
Sources
The Wall Street Journal — Nvidia Is Preparing to Oust Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
NVIDIA — Statement from NVIDIA Board of Directors (November 8, 2026)
Reuters — Nvidia CEO Huang had relationship with executive who reported to him, NYT reports
Reuters — CoreWeave sparks AI cloud stock rally, lifts Nvidia as results ease bubble fears
Rich Washburn is a technologist, strategist, and Founder & Chief AI Architect of ARIA AI Labs, working at the intersection of AI, infrastructure, communications, and capital. He also serves as Managing Partner and Chief AI Officer at Eliakim Capital.
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