Nvidia faces life after Jensen Huang following shock exit

A sudden turn for Nvidia's founder

Jensen Huang has left Nvidia, according to CNBC, just weeks after the company's co-founder appeared untouchable at its GTC event in Berlin on 22 October. CNBC's Arjun Kharpal, who conducted what he describes as the last live broadcast interview with Huang before the exit, says the company is now confronting a question investors have not faced in more than 30 years: what Nvidia looks like without him.

The departure follows Huang's admission of an affair with a woman whom US intelligence alleges could be a spy for China. CNBC reports that the woman, Alice Huang, held stakes in businesses that benefit from Chinese rival Huawei while she was in business with Nvidia.

The cult of Jensenmania

Huang's public appearances had taken on the feel of rock concerts, a phenomenon CNBC describes as Jensenmania. At the Berlin event, the merchandise store sold clothing bearing his face, crowds cheered loudly when he took the stage, and attendees competed for photographs with the founder.

During a 2025 trip to Europe, one attendee in London compared Huang to Iron Man, the Marvel character Tony Stark. CNBC's reporting portrays him as less a conventional chief executive and more an evangelist for artificial intelligence, central to the excitement around the technology.

He had the record to support the persona. Having co-founded Nvidia in the early 90s, he turned a company that began by making graphics chips for gaming into the dominant supplier of AI semiconductors, complete with the software that underpins its strong market position. Nvidia's shares have risen close to 500% over the past five years, driven by growth and by faith in his vision.

Who takes over

CFO Colette Kress will serve as interim chief executive, according to CNBC. Kress has spent 13 years at the company. Huang leaves without a clear succession plan in place, CNBC notes, describing the vacancy as some of the biggest shoes to fill in tech history.

Investors are unsettled by the change. Storm Uru, who helps run the global innovation team at Liontrust Asset Management, a Nvidia shareholder since 2017, told CNBC that the idea of the company operating without its founder had never really been considered before.

There is precedent for founder transitions elsewhere in tech. CNBC points to Apple and Alphabet, where visionary leaders stepped aside and successors delivered further gains, at least judging by share prices, even if the new chiefs lacked the founders' showmanship.

Why the timing may favour a successor

CNBC's analysis suggests the timing may not be disastrous for whoever takes the role permanently. Nvidia's product roadmap is set for the next few years, and demand for computing power from AI firms and hyperscalers still exceeds supply. The company remains the benchmark for AI chips, and while competition is rising, the market conditions that have supported Nvidia will not vanish quickly. That gives a successor breathing space.

The wider stakes for the AI boom

The concern goes beyond one company's leadership. CNBC's Matt Peterson writes that Nvidia acts as something like a central bank for AI, having made or committed hundreds of billions of dollars in investments across the industry, including to OpenAI and Intel.

If Nvidia cannot honour those commitments, this circular financing model could create problems for the AI companies it backs and for the banks that have lent money into the AI buildout. Huang's exit therefore raises questions about the future of the whole AI industry, not only because of his singular status.