Nvidia Staff Wait Six Days as Interim CEO Kress Takes Charge

By Sophie Lindqvist

Six days separate Nvidia’s Nov. 12 leadership shock from its Nov. 18, 9 a.m. PT company-wide meeting (all-hands), leaving employees to wait after Colette Kress became interim CEO (temporary chief executive). Addressing staff became her first visible task, although Fortune reported that communications experts considered the gap too long.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, Nvidia announced that CEO Jensen Huang had resigned, effective immediately, following his admission of an extramarital affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Colette Kress became interim CEO.

The New York Times also reported an affair between Huang and Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care. Neither Nvidia nor Powell has publicly addressed that report, leaving another material uncertainty around the departure.

Kress has worked at Nvidia since 2013, after senior finance roles at Cisco and Microsoft. She ranked No. 49 on Fortune’s 2026 Most Powerful Women list.

Fortune reported that Nvidia’s market value topped $5 trillion at its peak and that the chipmaker ranked No. 16 on the 2026 Fortune 500. It was the first company on the ranking to pass $4 trillion, while Bloomberg reported that the value had fallen below that mark after the affair reports and resignation.

Three U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) matters could draw the company into further scrutiny, according to Semafor, which cited two administration officials. One is an antitrust probe (competition investigation) aimed at Nvidia; two separate inquiries concern Megaspeed and Supermicro and center on Alice Huang, the alleged Chinese spy.

Semafor reported no sign that the DOJ currently intends to pursue criminal charges against Nvidia or Huang. Fortune has separately examined why Nvidia cannot shake allegations of China smuggling.

How do employees and supporters react?

An X user identifying themself as an employee of Nvidia wrote on Thursday: “Jensen Huang rescued me from probably living in debt the rest of my life … I’ve never spoken to him, and only passed by him in HQ once.” The employee added: “His personal life is frankly none of my business. But as a leader, I have yet to meet a better one.”

The same post continued: “Ousting him is financial suicide, and I can only assume there is a hidden ulterior motive because I can’t fathom any other reason for destroying the company’s value.” The reaction mixed personal loyalty with concern for Nvidia’s value.

Billionaires Bill Ackman and Elon Musk defended Huang online. Ackman wrote on Sunday: “@JensenHuang is human. And he is an incredible human. Even incredible humans make mistakes. Onward.”

Musk replied “I agree” to Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire, who called Huang one of the generation’s greatest entrepreneurs, said the conduct was “incredibly dumb” and bad for America, and argued that no bad intention was likely. Maguire also said two mistakes did not make a right and called Huang irreplaceable for America’s AI (artificial intelligence) leadership.

The schedule originated in an employee message that circulated publicly: “You will hear more from leadership in the coming days, and we will host a meeting on November 18 at 9 am PT.” It continued: “We play a vital role in building the technology that is powering the AI revolution, and we have important work ahead of us.”

The message added: “So let’s move forward together, with the same determination and commitment that have always defined this company.” Nvidia did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

How long must employees wait?

Nvidia’s investor release schedules third-quarter (Q3) results for Nov. 17, one day before the all-hands. Wall Street therefore hears from the new leadership before employees receive a company-wide forum, giving investors speed and staff delay.

Annie Scranton, founder and CEO of Pace Public Relations, credited Kress for sending the message quickly and setting an appropriate tone, but called the timing poor. She said: “The problem lies with her giving a specific day that is nearly a week away for the all-hands,” adding that “‘Coming days’ to me does not mean six days away.”

Scranton said Kress should have stopped after mentioning “coming days,” rather than fixing a date nearly a week away. Acknowledging that Kress had “a ton to work out,” she still urged her to work through the weekend on messaging and next steps before holding the meeting Monday. She added: “Even if she didn’t have every single aspect 100% sorted out at that moment, it’s too long to wait.”

The delay gives employees time to “stew, talk, get upset,” Scranton said, warning of further damage to morale and their stock. Her verdict is practical rather than ornamental: a company of Nvidia’s scale needs usable answers before questions harden.

Amy Cuthbertson, founder of ACA PR, preferred an earlier live briefing in which employees could hear from Kress and raise concerns sooner. She said: “Managers also need to be given clear guidance so they can support their teams and be in a position to answer their questions consistently.”

Cuthbertson advised Kress not to speculate about the investigation or promise answers she cannot provide. She can explain what is known, what remains undetermined and how staff will receive updates, a distinction between disclosure and reassurance.

Johan Konst, founder of tech PR agency EUSA PR, said Kress “struck the right tone” by thanking employees and acknowledging the difficulty. He considered six days reasonable for the meeting, although “too long for employees to wait to ask their first question,” and would take questions that day and answer the most pressing ones the next.

What should Kress tell employees?

The immediate governance test is narrow: Kress must set a communication timetable, distinguish known facts from open questions and give managers consistent guidance. Six days may clear a diary; in a shaken organization, it also supplies time for uncertainty to compound.