Nvidia Cuts Board to 10 After Jensen Huang Dismissal

By Grace Kim

Nvidia cut its board to 10 members from 11 on Friday after dismissing co-founder and longtime leader Jensen Huang, ending his 33-year run at the company.

Nvidia's website still listed Huang on its board and founders pages at about 10 a.m. Friday. The company then removed him from both lists. Chris Malachowsky, who co-founded Nvidia in 1993, is now the only name in the founders section.

The changes appeared intended to draw a line under internal turmoil and win back investor confidence after Huang's exit over suspected involvement in espionage. The board's emergency decision and the website revisions provide the public record of that response.

What changed in Nvidia's leadership?

At an emergency meeting on the previous day, Nvidia's board dismissed Huang, who had led the company for 33 years. It named Chief Financial Officer Kress as interim CEO (temporary chief executive) and appointed board member Harvey Jones as chairman (chair of the board of directors).

Nvidia had operated its board without a chairman. The company shifted to a chairman structure as turmoil loomed following Huang's abrupt departure. Jones's appointment ended that arrangement, while Kress took the chief executive role on an interim basis.

What did Kress tell employees?

Kress moved to steady the company with an email to staff on Friday. In the message, she wrote:

"I recognize this is an extremely difficult time," she said. "I want you to know how grateful we are for the resilience, professionalism and unwavering dedication you have shown." "What we have achieved is thanks to the work all of you do every day."

She also said employees would hear more from the leadership team in the coming days about the company's shared future.

In the same message, she wrote:

"We play a pivotal role in building the technology driving the artificial intelligence revolution, and important work lies ahead."

She urged staff to move forward with the resolve and dedication that had always defined the company. The message paired acknowledgment of the difficult period with a promise of further communication.

When does Nvidia address the dismissal?

Nvidia scheduled a companywide meeting (an all-staff meeting) for Nov. 18, one day after quarterly earnings on Nov. 17. The timing suggests the company intends to discuss its response to Huang's dismissal with employees and return operations to normal.

The earnings event comes first. The all-staff meeting follows, giving the leadership team a scheduled setting for communication after the board's emergency meeting. The sequence concentrates the company's earnings communication and employee communication in a two-day span.

What does this change for investors and employees?

For investors, the practical change is the leadership structure: a 10-member board chaired by Jones, with Kress serving as interim CEO after 33 years under Huang. For employees, the immediate reference point is the Nov. 18 meeting, preceded by Nov. 17 earnings.

The test is whether that structure stabilizes the company and restores confidence; the timing of the two events puts the transition under immediate scrutiny. Huang's departure was sudden, but the board's response followed a defined sequence: dismissal on the previous day, website changes on Friday, earnings on Nov. 17 and an all-staff meeting on Nov. 18.