Donald Trump proposed Apple executive chairman Tim Cook as the successor to Jensen Huang at the helm of NVIDIA. The proposal was published on Truth Social after Huang resigned as president, chief executive officer and a member of the chipmaker’s board.
“Now that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, who did a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one person to take his place – Apple’s Tim Cook,” Trump wrote. The president did not specify whether his proposal was official, and there is no indication that NVIDIA’s board has nominated Cook.
Colette Kress takes over the company temporarily
NVIDIA appointed its chief financial officer, Colette Kress, as interim chief executive officer. She has been with the company since 2013 and previously led its global financial operations.
Kress said that “NVIDIA’s strength has always been its people” and pledged to continue developing the foundation built by Huang over the past 33 years. She also said that the company would continue its work in accelerated computing and artificial intelligence.
Board chairman Harvey Jones said that NVIDIA’s operations, customer commitments and product roadmap are expected to continue without interruption. The board has begun searching for a permanent leader and will consider candidates from both within and outside the company.
Cook remains at the helm of Apple
Tim Cook is not a former Apple employee but the company’s executive chairman. He was its chief executive officer until 2025, when John Ternus took over the position. Cook continues to hold a leadership role at Apple, which would make a potential move to NVIDIA a significant change for both technology companies.
Axios noted that it was unclear whether Trump had made his proposal entirely seriously, but his post directly identified Cook as his preferred candidate to replace Huang.
NVIDIA shares shaken by resignation
Huang, who co-founded NVIDIA, also immediately left the board of directors. The company did not publicly name a permanent successor. The resignation brought an end to his 33-year leadership, during which NVIDIA became one of the leading suppliers of chips for artificial intelligence systems.
The company’s shares fell by around 14% at the opening of the U.S. trading session. Investors are awaiting the next assessment of the direction of NVIDIA’s business and financial results, which are due to be presented on Tuesday.
Sources: apnews.com, axios.com, streetinsider.com