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TL;DR
Nvidia’s board says it is still choosing a search firm and has not formally engaged candidates for a permanent CEO. CFO Colette Kress is interim chief executive, while reports of a possible approach to Arm CEO Rene Haas and a public suggestion of Apple’s Tim Cook remain distinct from any board-confirmed candidate list.
Nvidia’s board said Friday it is selecting a search firm for the company’s permanent CEO search and has not formally engaged potential candidates, following founder Jensen Huang’s resignation two days earlier. CFO Colette Kress is serving as interim CEO, while the board says speculation about individual candidates is premature.
The company’s November 12 press release and a related filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission name Kress as interim chief executive. She will also remain executive vice president and chief financial officer until a permanent successor is named. The filing says the board appointed her while it conducts a search that will consider both internal and external candidates.
Harvey C. Jones became board chair on the same date. Nvidia described him as its first-ever chair; the company’s filing says he has served as a director since 1993. In an employee email reported by CNBC, Jones called Kress “a key architect of NVIDIA’s growth and capital strategy.”
Candidate names circulating in reports and public comments are not confirmed appointments or an official shortlist. The Financial Times reported that Nvidia’s board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report; Arm declined to comment. President Donald Trump separately wrote on Truth Social that “there is only one man to take his place – TIM COOK of Apple,” as quoted by Reuters and Fox Business. Cook is Apple’s executive chairman. Nvidia’s board has not publicly endorsed either name in the material reviewed.
Nvidia CEO succession · Nov 11–18, 2026
From resignation to a search with no candidate on record
What Nvidia has confirmed, what is only reported or suggested, and the next dates.
Where the search stands (schematic)
- Resignation acceptedNov 11, per Nvidia’s 8-K
- Interim leadershipKress is interim CEO and stays CFO; Jones is the first Chair
- Search firmBeing selected, the board said on Nov 13
- CandidatesNone formally engaged, per the board; names so far are only reported or suggested
- Permanent CEONo timeline given
donein progress or reportedopen
Step by step, with the source for each
- Nov 11Nvidia, 8-K: the board accepts Huang’s resignation as President, CEO and director
- Nov 12Nvidia: Kress interim CEO and still CFO; Jones first-ever Chair; search for internal and external candidates
- Nov 12Suggested: Trump on Truth Social names Apple’s Tim Cook, as quoted by Fox Business and Reuters
- Nov 12Staff email: Kress announces a company meeting, as published by CNBC
- Nov 13Reported: the FT says the board approached Arm CEO Rene Haas, via Reuters. Arm: no comment
- Nov 13Board, to CNBC: “in the process of selecting a search firm”
- Nov 17Nvidia: third-quarter results at about 1:20 p.m. PT, call at 2 p.m. PT
- Nov 18Staff email: company meeting at 9 a.m. PT
Sources: Nvidia newsroom, “NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition” (Nov 12, 2026); Nvidia Form 8-K filed Nov 12, 2026 (SEC EDGAR); board statement to CNBC and Kress’s email to staff as published by CNBC (Nov 12 and 13, 2026); Financial Times report as published by Reuters (Nov 13, 2026); Trump’s Truth Social post as quoted by Fox Business and Reuters (Nov 12, 2026). The track is a schematic, not an official Nvidia process.
Animation: Powered by Thorsten Meyer AI
Leadership While Nvidia Searches
The transition puts a temporary leadership arrangement in place at a company whose products and plans affect cloud providers, chip customers and software developers. Nvidia says its operations, customer commitments and product roadmap “continue without interruption.” That is the company’s stated position; the longer-term effects of the CEO change remain unknown.
The search also leaves open whether Nvidia will retain a leadership approach closely associated with Huang or adopt a different structure. Reuters reported that some analysts expect a move toward “a more institutional leadership structure.” That is an analyst view, not a decision announced by the board. The eventual choice could shape how the company manages its strategy and communicates with employees, customers and investors.
For now, the board’s distinction between a search in progress and candidates formally engaged matters. A reported approach is not a confirmed offer, and a political recommendation does not determine the company’s choice. The board has stated that it will consider internal and external candidates but has given no public deadline for naming a successor.
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From Resignation to Search
Huang’s resignation preceded the November 12 announcement of Kress’s interim appointment and Jones’s new role as chair. The board’s November 13 statement to CNBC, also reported by Reuters, said it was still selecting a search firm, had not formally engaged potential candidates and considered speculation about individual names premature.
That account differs in timing from a November 11 TechCrunch report, which said Nvidia was working with an outside firm to identify possible successors, citing Bloomberg. The available reporting does not explain whether that earlier work concerned preliminary candidate identification or a separate, formal search engagement. The two descriptions cannot be reconciled from the information provided.
The board’s stated search is open to internal and external candidates. Kress’s interim role is not itself confirmation that she is a permanent candidate, and no public candidate list or timetable has been announced. The board’s statement is the clearest account of the formal process available as of November 14.
“We are in the process of selecting a search firm for the Nvidia CEO role.”
— Nvidia’s board, in a statement reported by CNBC on November 13
Candidates and Timetable Remain Open
No permanent successor or public shortlist has been announced, and the board has not set a deadline for completing the search. It is also unclear which search firm, if any, will be selected and when it will begin formally working with Nvidia.
The reported contact with Haas remains attributed reporting rather than a board-confirmed approach. Reuters said it could not independently verify the Financial Times report, and Arm declined to comment. Trump’s statement about Cook is a public suggestion, not evidence that Nvidia’s board contacted him or is considering him.
The discrepancy between the November 11 account of outside assistance and the board’s November 13 statement that it was selecting a search firm remains unexplained. The available material also does not establish whether Kress will be considered for the permanent role. Nvidia’s assurance that operations and its product roadmap will continue without interruption is the company’s stated commitment; longer-term leadership decisions have yet to be disclosed.
Results and Employee Meeting Ahead
Nvidia has scheduled its third-quarter results for November 17, at approximately 1:20 p.m. Pacific time, followed by an earnings call at 2 p.m. Pacific time, according to the company. The dates are described as previously scheduled. The results and call will be the next public company milestones since Kress took the interim role, though no announcement about the search is promised.
Kress told employees in an email reported by CNBC that a company meeting is set for November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific time. The board has said it is selecting a search firm and considering internal and external candidates. Until it provides further details, the timing, process and eventual choice of a permanent CEO remain open.
Key Questions
Who is Nvidia’s interim CEO?
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer, is interim CEO. The company says she will continue as CFO until a permanent successor is named.
Has Nvidia selected a permanent CEO candidate?
No candidate has been announced. The board said it had not formally engaged any potential candidates and was still selecting a search firm as of November 13.
Is Arm CEO Rene Haas confirmed as a candidate?
No. The Financial Times reported an approach, citing people familiar with the matter, but Reuters could not independently verify the report. Nvidia has not confirmed Haas as a candidate.
When are Nvidia’s next scheduled company events?
Nvidia’s third-quarter results are scheduled for November 17, followed by an earnings call. The company meeting for employees is scheduled for November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
