By Geoff Weiss
Publication Date: 2026-11-09 23:29:00
It’s hard to imagine Nvidia without Jensen Huang — and the CEO has repeatedly discussed his intention to work for as long as possible.
Now, the question of succession has come into sharp focus this week as Huang admitted to having an affair, and Nvidia’s board announced it’s investigating whether Huang was the target of a “foreign intelligence effort.”
If Huang steps down from his role, analysts and former employees floated several potential successors, including vice president Ian Buck and chief financial officer Colette Kress. Huang’s two children, Madison and Spencer, also work at Nvidia, raising questions about whether leadership could remain in the family.
Nvidia told Business Insider in a statement on Sunday that “Jensen is committed to continuing to lead Nvidia as CEO without interruption.” Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
Huang would be hard to replace, said Brad Gastwirth, the global head of research at Circular Technology. While Huang doesn’t have controlling voting power, he owns about 3.6% of Nvidia and would likely “have considerable input into succession unless the investigation uncovers serious wrongdoing,” Gastwirth said.
“Jensen’s combination of technical expertise, strategic vision, and industry relationships is nearly impossible to replicate,” he said.
Inside Nvidia’s succession dilemma
Nvidia has not publicly designated a number two, and Huang is known for keeping an…
