Nvidia sent an internal memo to all employees, in which founder and CEO Jensen Huang admitted to having an extramarital affair, apologized to his wife, children, and Nvidia staff, took responsibility, and pledged to cooperate with the investigation. As media reports continued to surface alleging additional affairs involving Huang, Nvidia announced that Huang had resigned from his roles as President, CEO, and board member, ending his 33-year leadership tenure at the company. Meanwhile, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Colette Kress has agreed to serve as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed.
According to TomsHardware, Nvidia's board of directors has approached Arm CEO Rene Haas as a potential successor to Jensen Huang. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that while Rene Haas is one of several candidates, it remains unclear whether he will receive a formal offer or accept the position.
Rene Haas is no stranger to Nvidia, having worked there for approximately seven years before departing in 2013. During his tenure as Vice President at Nvidia, Haas oversaw multiple projects, including laptop GPUs, Windows on Arm, and the Tegra chip series. Given his previous senior management role, Haas has accumulated substantial experience in Nvidia's operations, corporate culture, and relationships with customers and partners. Additionally, Haas possesses extensive expertise in consumer and data center CPUs and GPUs, as well as GPU IP development—a rare combination within the industry.
During his time at Arm, Rene Haas demonstrated a willingness to implement significant strategic changes within the company. After becoming CEO, he launched the Arm CSS platform, providing customers with complete and validated chip designs to make market entry easier for newcomers. This year, Arm also released its first own-brand product, named "Arm AGI CPU," positioning Arm in direct competition with some of its traditional clients. Both initiatives represent a notable departure from Arm's traditional business model, indicating that Haas is willing to take risks and potentially strain long-term partnerships in pursuit of new revenue growth opportunities.