The NVIDIA Board of Directors has initiated procedures to dismiss Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang. This comes just three days after Huang voluntarily disclosed an extramarital affair. The decision was triggered by a New York Times report exposing additional allegations of infidelity against Huang. With Huang's dismissal expected as early as the 11th local time, attention is focused on who will lead NVIDIA, the frontrunner in the AI industry.

It has been reported that NVIDIA's board has already been working with external firms to search for a successor. The board is also considering appointing an interim executive to temporarily hold the position while a permanent CEO is sought. U.S. business media outlet Business Insider reported that various potential next CEO candidates are being discussed both inside and outside NVIDIA, according to Wall Street analysts and former executives and employees.

The first person mentioned is Colette Kress, Chief Financial Officer. Having spent time at Cisco and Microsoft, Kress has led NVIDIA's financial division for about 13 years, with her strengths lying in her deep knowledge of the company's financials and business operations. However, some evaluations note her limitations in leading NVIDIA due to a relative lack of expertise in semiconductor technology and the AI sector. On Wall Street, Kress is also cited as a candidate to lead NVIDIA through the transitional period after Huang's dismissal and before a permanent successor is chosen.

Another candidate mentioned is Ian Buck, Vice President. Having worked at NVIDIA for 22 years, Buck developed CUDA, the software platform core to the company's AI semiconductor competitiveness. He currently leads NVIDIA's core data center and computing divisions. He is considered a successor candidate due to his comprehensive expertise in technology and understanding of the overall business.

Additionally, Chris Malachowsky, co-founder who built NVIDIA alongside Huang, is also mentioned as a candidate. Given that Huang has appointed family members to central management roles over the years, his children and son-in-law are also being referenced: Madison Huang, who handles physical AI marketing; Spencer Huang, director of robotics product management; and Vice President Nico Caplez, his son-in-law.

However, no official successor has been designated. Former executives told The York Times that while discussions about establishing a succession plan had continued within NVIDIA for several years, Huang had rejected them.

The possibility of recruiting an external figure rather than an internal candidate is also being raised. The most eye-catching figure is Lisa Su, CEO of AMD. She leads NVIDIA's competitor AMD and stands out for her management skills in turning around a company that once struggled with poor performance. However, the likelihood of a competitor's CEO moving to NVIDIA remains uncertain, and no official announcement regarding an actual recruitment offer has been made.

Next is Rene Haas, CEO of semiconductor design firm Arm, who previously worked at NVIDIA for seven years. His strengths include an understanding of NVIDIA's corporate culture and the semiconductor industry, and The Information has also cited Haas as a potential external candidate. Beyond these, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian and Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman are also mentioned as candidates.

Nonetheless, prevailing analyses suggest that whoever takes over the succession will find it difficult to replace Jensen Huang's unrivaled influence.

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