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Who would be next CEO at Nvidia? Top engineer and CFO favoured as candidates

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In short

The sudden governance turmoil has prompted analysts and investors to closely evaluate potential internal and external leadership contenders. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is considered a reliable interim selection by some board members after spending 13 years managing company finances and earnings calls. Meanwhile, top engineer Ian Buck is viewed as the leading long-term technical successor due to his critical work spearheading the CUDA platform and hyperscale artificial intelligence units. Arm Holdings leader Rene Haas and long-serving insider Jeff Fisher have also emerged as notable succession possibilities.

Key points

  • Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is favored by several board members to potentially…: Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is favored by several board members to potentially take over as interim chief executive.
  • Leadership turmoil has demoted Nvidia from its standing as the world's most valuable publ…: Leadership turmoil has demoted Nvidia from its standing as the world's most valuable publicly traded company.
  • External executive Rene Haas and long-term veteran Jeff Fisher are also considered viable…: External executive Rene Haas and long-term veteran Jeff Fisher are also considered viable candidates to step into the role.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Ian Buck, who oversees Nvidia’s data centre business, and CFO Colette Kress are the most likely candidates to succeed Jensen Huang as CEO, say analysts.

SAN FRANCISCO: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has never anointed a successor, but many analysts and investors see two people as particularly likely candidates, at least for the short term: Nvidia's uber-engineer Ian Buck and chief financial officer Colette Kress.

Nvidia's board was reportedly meeting late on Wednesday (Nov 11) to decide whether to oust Huang, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, as the world's dominant supplier of AI processors grapples with reports of two extramarital affairs involving its longtime leader. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the board meeting.

Huang isn't the usual CEO. He is a charismatic, leather-jacket-wearing apostle of Nvidia chips who built the company on processors for video games, transformed it into an artificial intelligence machine, and, in turn, created the most valuable company in the world.

"Jensen Huang is a rockstar in the industry. He’s outspoken and synonymous with the Nvidia brand, and a…

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