Jensen Huang Is Out: How Nvidia Lost Its CEO in Five Days

On Monday this blog covered the board investigation into Jensen Huang over an alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy. By Thursday he was gone. Nvidia's board announced his resignation, CFO Colette Kress steps in as interim CEO, and more than $320 billion evaporated from the company's value in a day, over $600 billion for the week. Whatever you think of the man, the era he defined ended with a press release that did not even mention why. How it unwound in five days The sequence matters, because it shows an institution trying to digest a scandal faster than its own governance could handle. Last week the affair allegations surfaced, and Nvidia's shares slid as the board hired an outside firm to investigate. Over the weekend the FBI confirmed it was looking at the affair's national security angle. On Monday, Congress said it would call Huang to testify. On Thursday morning he resigned. The Guardian reports the resignation followed reports of affairs with both the alleged Chinese spy and a company employee. The board's statement praised his "profound" contributions and said nothing about the conduct that forced him out, which is what boards do when the lawyers are in the ...