---
title: Nvidia's Board Is Reportedly Preparing to Remove Jensen Huang as Chief Executive
description: The WSJ says Nvidia's board could meet as soon as 11 November on Jensen Huang's future; the NYT reported his relationship with executive Kimberly Powell.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-12T00:06:31.390Z
updated: 2026-11-12T00:06:40.138Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/nvidia-board-jensen-huang-remove
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/nvidia-board-jensen-huang-remove.webp
categories: Artificial Intelligence
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Sovereign Magazine
about:
  - type: Person
    name: Jensen Huang
    description: Jensen Huang co-founded Nvidia, the chipmaker based in Santa Clara, California, in 1993 and has been its chief executive since then.
  - type: Organization
    name: Nvidia
    description: Nvidia is a US technology company that designs the graphics processors and AI chips used in data centers, gaming and cloud computing.
---

Nvidia's board is preparing to remove Jensen Huang as chief executive and could meet to decide his future as soon as Wednesday, [the Wall Street Journal reported](https://www.wsj.com/business/nvidia-is-preparing-to-oust-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-30f421ad) on 11 November, citing people familiar with the matter. No decision has been announced, and no interim chief executive or successor has been named.

Minutes earlier, [the New York Times reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/11/technology/jensen-huang-nvidia-affair.html) that Huang had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reports to him, and that the two were seen being affectionate at a hotel in San Jose during a company conference in March. Its sources were five people who have worked at Nvidia.

Huang told staff in a memo on 8 November that he had been unfaithful to his wife, without saying with whom. Before Wednesday, the reports had named only [Alice Huang](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/who-is-alice-huang-megaspeed), a Megaspeed executive, whom a classified US memo describes as having had a relationship with him, according to the New York Times and the Financial Times. Powell is now a second name in the reports, and it is not known whether the Times is describing the relationship Huang referred to in his memo or a separate one.

Nvidia shares closed 2.9% higher at $173.73 on Wednesday, making up some of [their falls of 4.3% on Monday and 5.5% on Tuesday](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/nvidia-stock-falls-second-day). After the two reports, they dropped to about $160 in after-hours trading, about 8% below the close.

Powell joined Nvidia in 2008 and has led its work in healthcare since 2017. She did not respond to requests for comment, and Nvidia declined to comment. When the Times called Huang about the relationship, he said, "I don't think you should be talking to me directly."

## The Board Was Already Investigating Whether Huang Was Targeted by a Foreign Intelligence Effort

On the day of Huang's memo, Nvidia's board [opened an inquiry](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/nvidia-jensen-huang-investigation) into whether he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. The classified memo identifies Alice Huang, who has worked for the Singapore company Megaspeed, as a recruit of China's Ministry of State Security, according to the reports. She has not been charged, and China denies the allegation.

In announcing the inquiry, the board said it had no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia's secrets had been compromised, and that it had confidence in Huang and his leadership team. On 10 November its independent members hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Joon H. Kim, who was once the acting chief federal prosecutor in Manhattan. The board has not commented on the report about Powell.

## Ten of the 11 Nvidia Board Members Are Independent, and Huang Holds No Extra Voting Shares

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has been its chief executive since. He is the only one of its 11 directors who is not independent, and he sits on none of the board's committees. The board has no chair, and its lead director is Stephen Neal, a lawyer who joined in 2019 and chairs the nominating and corporate governance committee.

Nvidia has a single class of shares, each carrying one vote. Its proxy statement put Huang's stake at 3.58% in March, including shares held by his foundation, against 7.43% for BlackRock and 7.31% for Vanguard. He holds no shares with extra voting rights, which some founders use to control who sits on their boards.

Nvidia has not named a successor, and its 2026 proxy statement says nothing about succession planning for the chief executive. In the risk factors of its latest annual report, Nvidia wrote, "Failure to ensure effective succession planning, transfer of knowledge, and smooth transitions involving executives and key employees could hinder our strategic planning, execution, and long-term success."

Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said Nvidia's product plans are already set for years, which limits the short-term risk of a change at the top, and noted that there is "no planned successor".

## Nvidia's Code of Conduct Lists Personal Relationships Among Possible Conflicts of Interest

Under [Nvidia's code of conduct](https://images.nvidia.com/aem-dam/en-zz/Solutions/about-us/NVIDIA-Code-of-Conduct-External.pdf), which covers its directors and executive officers as well as its employees, staff are expected to avoid situations that "might create a conflict" between "our personal gain and our obligations to NVIDIA". Personal relationships and investments are both listed among the activities that "may create a conflict of interest", and the code contains no rule specifically on romantic relationships.

Moorhead said a relationship with an employee "raises the stakes", and he pointed to Brian Krzanich, who resigned as Intel's chief executive in June 2018 after internal and external lawyers confirmed a past consensual relationship with an employee that broke a policy applying to all Intel managers. Finance chief Bob Swan became interim chief executive. Norfolk Southern fired Alan Shaw for cause in September 2024 after a law firm found that his consensual relationship with the railway's chief legal officer broke company policy. Nestlé dismissed Laurent Freixe in September 2025 after "an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate which breached Nestlé's Code of Business Conduct". None of the three had founded the company he ran, and none of the cases involved a national security allegation.

> "If Mr. Huang broke the law or violated company policies, the board is likely to act as soon as they have proof."
> — Gil Luria, D.A. Davidson

Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson, said on Wednesday that removing Huang immediately "could be challenging for Nvidia since it does not have a succession plan in place". No finding has been made that Huang broke the law or any company policy, and the board has given no date for the end of its inquiry.

## Nvidia Reports Results on 17 November, the Day Before a House Briefing Huang Was Asked to Attend

Huang had until Wednesday to answer the three Republicans who chair House committees and want him at a private briefing on 18 November, and by the evening neither he nor Nvidia had replied publicly. Asked on Tuesday if he would issue a subpoena should Huang fail to respond, Brian Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, [said "Absolutely"](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/lutnick-memo-megaspeed-entity-list).

Tristan Gerra of Baird downgraded Nvidia shares to Neutral on Wednesday morning, before the reports, saying he would wait "until uncertainties regarding U.S. government action likely resulting from the upcoming congressional hearing are lifted" and "uncertainties around CEO tenure clear". Nvidia reports its third-quarter results on 17 November.

## FAQ

**Q: Can Nvidia survive without Jensen Huang?**
Huang has led Nvidia since he co-founded it in 1993, and the company has not named a successor or an interim chief executive. In its latest annual report, Nvidia told investors that failing to ensure effective succession planning could hinder its strategic planning, execution and long-term success. Gil Luria of D.A. Davidson said removing Huang immediately could be challenging because Nvidia has no succession plan in place. Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said the company's product plans are already set for years, which limits the short-term risk of a change of chief executive.

**Q: Who owns Nvidia?**
Nvidia is a listed company owned by its shareholders, and each of its shares carries one vote. According to its proxy statement, its largest holders in March were BlackRock with 7.43% and Vanguard with 7.31%. Huang held 3.58%, including shares held by his foundation, and the company's directors and officers together held 3.94%. Huang is one of 11 directors, and he has no shares with extra voting rights.

**Q: What happened to Nvidia CEO?**
On 8 November Huang told staff in a memo that he had been unfaithful to his wife, without naming anyone, and Nvidia's board opened an inquiry into whether he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. On 11 November the New York Times reported that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reports to him, and it is not known whether that is the relationship he referred to in his memo. The Wall Street Journal said the board was preparing to remove him as chief executive. No decision had been announced by Wednesday evening in New York, and no successor has been named.