Jensen Huang reportedly doubted interim CEO Colette Kress before exit
The Wall Street Journal reports Huang criticised Nvidia CFO Colette Kress in a summer meeting, months before he resigned and she became interim CEO.
Key takeaways
- The Wall Street Journal reports Huang called Kress a deer in the headlights during a summer finance meeting.
- Kress, Nvidia's CFO for over 13 years, is now interim CEO.
- She reportedly scaled back Nvidia's OpenAI credit commitment to $105 billion from a proposed $250 billion.
- Huang resigned after reports of multiple affairs, and Nvidia is seeking a permanent CEO.
In this article
What the report says
Jensen Huang described Nvidia CFO Colette Kress as a deer in the headlights during a summer meeting, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites an anonymous source. TechCrunch reported the comment on 13 November 2026.
The meeting covered Nvidia's plans to back data centre operators who cannot pay for its chips upfront with guarantees worth billions of dollars. Huang also reportedly said Kress could not help him steer strategy or decision-making.
Who Colette Kress is
Kress has spent more than 13 years at Nvidia and previously served as senior vice president and CFO of Cisco's Business Technology Operations Finance. She is now interim CEO after Huang's resignation.
According to the report, she has questioned Nvidia's programme-focused, credit-based deals involving Huang's son-in-law Nico Caprez. She reportedly wanted clarity on which deals are beneficial, how to value guarantees and how to determine returns.
The OpenAI credit commitment
Earlier in the year, Kress scaled back Nvidia's commitment to OpenAI's Ohio data centre project. Nvidia had discussed a much larger credit line for OpenAI but ultimately committed $105 billion, less than the $250 billion figure reported earlier in the talks.
Why Huang resigned
Huang resigned on Thursday after reports of two extramarital affairs, including one with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president for healthcare. Reuters later reported a third affair with another employee.
Nvidia is also investigating a possible Chinese espionage plot, and the board is searching for a permanent CEO.
What it means
The report suggests the handover may be strained, since Huang reportedly lacked confidence in the person now leading the company. All claims rest on an anonymous source cited by the Wall Street Journal and have not been confirmed by Nvidia or Huang.
Kress faces immediate questions about the company's credit guarantees and its ties to OpenAI while the search for a permanent chief continues.
Sources
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