What we know about Nvidia interim CEO Kress

Nvidia said Thursday that Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO after the company's longtime leader Jensen Huang resigned. Jen-Hsun Huang admitted to having an extramarital affair with a businesswoman believed by U.S. intelligence agencies to be a Chinese spy.

"The board has full confidence in Colette and the leadership team," new Nvidia chairman Harvey C. Jones said in a statement. "We expect the company's operations, customer commitments and product roadmap to continue to advance without disruption."

In a memo to Nvidia employees, Kress said she has "deep belief in this company" and called employees "our greatest strength." She said that Nvidia will hold a company-wide meeting on November 18 to discuss the company’s future.

She will continue to serve as Nvidia's chief financial officer while serving as interim CEO until the board appoints a formal successor. The board said Thursday it has begun a search for a successor and will consider both internal and external candidates. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kress, who joined Nvidia in 2013, is leading the company into an uncertain next chapter. Under Huang, Nvidia grew from a niche maker of computer chips for video games to one of the world's most valuable public companies and a key pillar of the artificial intelligence boom. Nvidia has an estimated 90% share of the market for chips used in the massive artificial intelligence projects that drive the U.S. economy.

Kress, 59, faces a challenging road ahead. She temporarily takes over a company that had been tightly controlled by her predecessor. Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and manages all aspects of the company's business through a flat structure that puts him at the heart of daily operations.

In recent years, members of his family have steadily risen through the ranks within the company. And while Kress is well-known to Wall Street, she doesn't have Huang's connections with Nvidia's vast supply chain or in Washington.

Kress holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. Before joining Nvidia in 2013, she worked in finance at Texas Instruments, Microsoft, and Cisco.

Huang interviewed 22 candidates before hiring Kress as chief financial officer. At the time, Kress’s young sons, all avid gamers, encouraged her to join Nvidia. During her first week on the job, Kress asked Huang how long he expected her to stay in the position.

“I said: ‘As long as we live until death do us part,’” Huang said on a podcast this year.