Jensen Huang Once Called Colette Kress a 'Deer in the Headlights'. Now She's Nvidia's Interim CEO

Jensen Huang reportedly called Nvidia finance chief Colette Kress a 'deer in the headlights' during a tense meeting in August. Three months later, she is running the company he co-founded. Kress, 59, was appointed interim CEO following Huang's resignation on 11 November 2026, a leadership change Nvidia announced the following day.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Huang questioned Kress's ability to contribute to strategic decisions as Nvidia faced mounting financial commitments tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The executive he reportedly criticised now faces responsibility for overseeing those same challenges while Nvidia searches for a permanent chief executive.

The transition follows reports concerning Huang's extramarital relationships and allegations of foreign intelligence targeting. Nvidia has launched an independent investigation but says it has no reason to believe company secrets were compromised. The company has not publicly attributed Huang's resignation to those reports.

Why Jensen Huang Reportedly Questioned Colette Kress

During an August meeting, Huang interrupted Kress's presentation and described her as a 'deer in the headlights', according to a person familiar with his comments. The Wall Street Journal reported that Huang also called her a 'reporting CFO', questioning her ability to help develop strategy and make decisions.

The criticism came as Nvidia considered billions of dollars in financial guarantees for companies seeking to purchase its artificial intelligence chips. Some arrangements involved Huang's son-in-law, Nico Caprez, who reportedly pursued financing agreements with emerging cloud providers and data centre developers.

The proposed deals were intended to turn smaller companies into long-term Nvidia customers. However, Huang had begun questioning whether the financing strategy exposed the company to excessive risk, according to people familiar with the discussions.

He reportedly warned executives that major cloud providers were exploring alternative chips to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Meanwhile, substantial commitments to purchase chip wafers and memory were creating additional financial pressure.

Huang described those obligations as an 'avalanche', according to the newspaper. The reported exchange highlights tensions over Nvidia's financial strategy between Huang and the executive now overseeing its leadership transition.

Colette Kress Takes Over Nvidia Following Jensen Huang's Resignation

Nvidia's board accepted Huang's resignation on 11 November and appointed Kress interim CEO, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Kress has served as Nvidia's chief financial officer since September 2013 and will retain that position while the board searches for a permanent chief executive.

Before joining Nvidia, she spent nearly 25 years in finance roles at technology companies including Cisco and Microsoft. The company also appointed Harvey C. Jones as its first board chairman.

Despite Huang's reported criticism, Nvidia's official announcement expressed confidence in Kress's leadership. 'Colette has helped lead NVIDIA through a period of extraordinary growth,' Jones said, citing her understanding of the company's operations and finances.

Kress pledged to build on Huang's legacy while maintaining Nvidia's focus on accelerated computing and artificial intelligence. Her immediate responsibilities include overseeing the company's financial commitments during a period of intense scrutiny.

Nvidia is scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, 17 November. The figures cover the quarter ending 25 October, before Kress assumed leadership. The accompanying earnings call will offer investors an early opportunity to assess Nvidia's direction following Huang's departure.

For Kress, the challenge is particularly significant. The finance chief once reportedly criticised for her approach to strategic decisions must now oversee Nvidia's financial commitments and guide the company through its first leadership transition since its founding in 1993.