The Wall Street Journal reported that former NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang described Collette Kress — who currently serves as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO) and has been named interim CEO — as “a deer in the headlights” during a presentation earlier this summer, citing an anonymous source.
According to the report, Huang made the remark during a meeting with NVIDIA’s finance team about plans to provide guarantees worth billions of dollars to data center operators that could not afford to buy the company’s chips upfront.
Disagreement over program-focused, credit-based deals
The WSJ account says Huang also commented that Kress was not someone who could help him steer strategy or decision-making. Collette Kress has been with NVIDIA for over 13 years; she previously served as SVP and CFO of Cisco’s Business Technology Operations Finance.
The report says Kress has raised questions about the program-focused, credit-based deals involving Huang’s son-in-law, Nico Caprez. She reportedly asked how the company should decide which deals are beneficial, how to value guarantees, and how to determine expected returns.
As an example, the story notes that earlier in the year she scaled back NVIDIA’s commitment to OpenAI’s ambitious Ohio data center project. The company had been in talks to provide $250 billion in credit to OpenAI but ultimately committed $105 billion.
Leadership change and investigations
Jensen Huang resigned on Thursday after reports surfaced of two extramarital affairs, including one with the company’s vice president for healthcare, Kimberly Powell. The company is also investigating a possible Chinese espionage plot.
After his resignation, Reuters reported Huang was involved in a third affair with another employee. NVIDIA is currently searching for a permanent CEO to replace Huang, who held the top job for over 33 years.
Why this matters
The report provides a window into internal disagreements over large, credit-backed commercial arrangements and decision-making at a major chipmaker during a leadership transition. The scale of the guarantees and the questions raised by senior finance executives could affect the company’s risk profile and long-term financial exposure.
