Who can replace Jen-Hsun Huang? NVIDIA can consider these people

The search for Jen-Hsun Huang's successor at Nvidia is being compared to succeeding Steve Jobs at Apple. And in many ways, the former is actually harder.

The 63-year-old Huang has deeper technical expertise than the late Steve Jobs. He has a keen insight into the field of artificial intelligence and a deep understanding of the chips and other technologies needed to support it.

Unlike Jobs, Huang also developed close friendships across the industry, weaving a complex web of partners, customers and suppliers. He has built Nvidia into a major force in Washington with its close relationship with President Trump and technology critical to U.S. national security.

Moreover, Huang has shaped a culture at Nvidia that both drives rapid innovation and attracts some of the most accomplished engineers.

“They have to find a leader who is inspiring and people like them,” said Jeff Christian, CEO of executive search firm Christian & Timbers. The company frequently partners with Silicon Valley companies. “This person has to be an outstanding technical engineer and also a magnet for talent.”

Christian and others noted that any candidate must have an impeccable record of integrity and honesty.

Another problem facing this talent search is that few candidates are expected to maintain the ultra-flat organizational structure that Huang has promoted at Nvidia. An estimated 60 people report directly to Huang. Craig Stevens, managing partner at executive search firm Boyden, said problems can arise when there are more than 12 direct reports. "The structure must change immediately," he said.

Which candidates may be eligible? Here are some of the names put forward by headhunters, analysts and others.

Colette Kress

Kress, Nvidia's chief financial officer, was named interim CEO on Thursday while the company continues its search for a formal successor. She’s familiar with company operations and has strong ties to Wall Street, hosting conference calls every time Nvidia reports earnings. But Kress, 59, lacks the deep technical expertise needed for a company driving the evolution of artificial intelligence.

Ian Barker

As vice president of Nvidia, Buck was instrumental in driving the company's chip technology transformation from the field of video game graphics to the field of artificial intelligence. He invented the CUDA software framework that supports many artificial intelligence applications. He currently works with large enterprises running thousands of Nvidia chips in their data centers. Although Buck lacked extensive management experience, he had testified before Congress and made other connections in Washington.

Tim Cook

Tim Cook, who recently stepped down as CEO of Apple, was immediately named by Trump as the perfect candidate to succeed Jen-Hsun Huang. But Cook is not deeply involved in the artificial intelligence revolution. And at 66, he's older than most candidates appointed to lead large public companies. Stevens believes Cook could serve in a longer-term transition role behind Kress if he is drafted.

Johnny Slugi

As Apple's head of hardware, Sruji has deep semiconductor expertise. The Israeli engineer has helped Apple stay at the forefront of chip design, incorporating artificial intelligence capabilities into its custom chips. But apart from speaking at Apple events, he rarely appears in public. And Apple’s chips are primarily intended for PCs, tablets and smartphones, not data centers where most AI transactions take place.

Rene Haas

Haas, 64, is the CEO of ARM Holdings, a chip technology licensing company, and is very familiar with Nvidia. He worked there from 2006 to 2013. In 2020, when Arm was preparing to be acquired by Nvidia, he also had many contacts with Huang Renxun and other executives of the Silicon Valley company. The deal eventually fell through in 2022 due to government opposition.

Forrest Norod