The Wall Street Journal reported on November 11, 2026 that Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust chief executive Jensen Huang. Nvidia has not confirmed it. Neither of the two news reports we read names a successor or says the board has reached a decision.
We have not read the Journal’s article. This post is read from the Journal’s two posts on X, from Reuters and CNBC, which both carried the report, and from Nvidia’s own statements and filings. It keeps what is reported apart from what is on the record.
Update, November 12, 2026, 00:08 UTC: More outlets now report that the board is meeting or about to meet. None of the passages we read reports a decision, and Nvidia has still made no statement.
- CNN. In a report carried by KESQ, CNN wrote of reports that Huang had a relationship with a company executive “and that the board is meeting to discuss his future”.
- The Financial Times. In a report carried by Ars Technica, it wrote, citing people familiar with the matter, that the board “is set to hold urgent talks about the future” of its founder.
- The New York Times. At 00:06 UTC Techmeme listed a Times story under the headline “Nvidia’s Board Is Meeting to Discuss Jensen Huang’s Future”. We have not read that story.
- No clear deputy. CNN wrote that Huang “is without a clear No. 2 if the board decides to remove him”.
- Nvidia. CNN said the company “did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the new reports”. At 00:08 UTC its newsroom listed no item dated November 11 or November 12, and the SEC index showed nothing filed after November 6.
- The shares. CNBC has since revised its figure. Its page now says the shares “fell more than 9% in after-hours trading”.
Update, November 12, 2026, 00:20 UTC: Bloomberg reports a search for a replacement. We have not read Bloomberg’s story. What follows is the one-line summary of it that Techmeme listed at 00:19 UTC, which attributes it to one source.
- The summary. Techmeme’s line reads: “Nvidia’s board is working with an outside firm to identify possible replacements for Jensen Huang and weighs naming a temporary CEO during the search”.
- What it does not say. The summary names no candidate and reports no decision.
- Nvidia. At 00:20 UTC its newsroom listed no item dated November 11 or November 12, and the SEC index showed nothing filed after November 6.
Update, November 12, 2026, 03:47 UTC: Semafor reports that some directors favor the chief financial officer as interim chief executive. We read Semafor’s report, which says it was updated at 10:27 p.m. Eastern on November 11. It reports no decision, and Nvidia has still made no statement.
- An interim chief. Semafor reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that some board members “favor appointing Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO” if Huang is ousted.
- No decision. Semafor adds that the full board “has yet to make a decision” and that the directors were scheduled to meet on Wednesday evening.
- The White House. The board “briefed the White House on its planned meeting”, Semafor reports, citing a senior administration official.
- A name for the permanent job. Semafor writes that “One person being considered for the top job” is Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji. It attributes that to one other person familiar with the matter, and carries no comment from Srouji or Apple.
- Nvidia. Semafor says company spokespeople “didn’t immediately provide a comment”. At 03:47 UTC its newsroom listed no item dated November 11 or November 12, and the SEC index showed nothing filed after November 6.
- The shares. Semafor says the stock “fell more than 8% in after-hours trading, hitting a 52-week low”.
- A letter from two senators. Senators Chris Coons and Elizabeth Warren asked three administration officials “to preserve documents related to Nvidia’s chip exports to China”, Semafor reports. We have not read the letter, and neither senator’s press page listed it at 03:44 UTC. Our board record has more on it.
Update, November 12, 2026, 08:07 UTC: Elon Musk replied on X to a post asking him to hire Huang, and Semafor says it confirmed the board’s plan itself. Neither is a statement by Nvidia, and no report we read says the board has decided.
- The ask. At 23:22 UTC on November 11 the account @zerohedge posted “Elon please hire Jensen”.
- Musk’s reply. At 01:22 UTC on November 12 Musk replied “That would be an honor”.
- What it is. A five-word reply on X. It names no company, no role and no terms. Our search of Musk’s posts since November 10 for the words Jensen, Nvidia or honor returned this one post.
- Reach. Musk’s reply had about 4.0 million views and the post it answers about 2.5 million when we read both at 08:05 UTC.
- A second outlet’s own sources. Semafor writes that it “earlier confirmed that Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust Huang as soon as Wednesday”. That line is in the version of its report updated at 10:27 p.m. Eastern on November 11. Our earlier update quoted Semafor on the interim chief and left this line out.
- Nvidia. At 08:07 UTC its newsroom listed no item dated November 11 or November 12, and the SEC index showed nothing filed after November 6.
On this page · 10 sectionsOpen
The Wall Street Journal reported on November 11, 2026 that Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust chief executive Jensen Huang. Reuters says it cited people familiar with the matter.
Nvidia has not confirmed it. Its newsroom listed no statement dated November 11 and the SEC’s index showed no new filing when we read both that evening.
Nvidia shares rose 2.87% in regular trading on Wednesday, then fell after hours following the report: more than 7% in CNBC’s first report, more than 9% on its revised page.
The board the report describes has ten members, per Nvidia’s May 2026 proxy statement: nine independent directors and Huang. It has a lead director and no chairperson.
If a chief executive is terminated, SEC rules call for a Form 8-K within four business days. On November 8 the board said it had confidence in Huang.
§ 01What the Journal reported
- The claim. The Journal’s account on X posted at 22:31 UTC on November 11, with the words “Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang”.
- A second post. The account posted the same headline again at 22:44 UTC. That post had about 156,000 views when we read it at 23:24 UTC.
- The sourcing. Reuters says the Journal reported it “citing people familiar with the matter”.
- The meeting. Reuters, describing the Journal’s report, wrote: “The board is preparing to meet as soon as Wednesday to determine his future”.
- The reason the Journal gives. Its posts tie the report to “two extramarital affairs, including one with a suspected Chinese spy”.
- A second report the same day. Earlier on Wednesday the New York Times reported that Huang “had an extramarital affair with a company executive who reported to him”, per Reuters. We are not naming the executive.
- What the reports leave out. Neither Reuters nor CNBC names a successor, an interim chief executive or a date for a decision.
Huang told Nvidia staff on November 8 that he had been unfaithful to his wife, and the board opened an independent investigation the same day. Our record of that investigation has both documents and everything since.
§ 02Reported, and on the record
| Item | Where it comes from | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The board is preparing to oust Huang | The Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, per Reuters | Reported, not confirmed |
| The board will meet as soon as Wednesday | The Journal, per Reuters | Reported, not confirmed |
| A relationship with an executive who reported to Huang | The New York Times, per Reuters | Reported |
| An independent investigation is under way | Nvidia’s board, November 8 | On the record |
| Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz conducts it | Nvidia’s independent directors, November 10 | On the record |
| The board has confidence in Huang | Nvidia’s board, November 8 | On the record, not updated since |
| A statement or filing about the Journal’s report | Nvidia’s newsroom and the SEC’s index of its filings | None found |
§ 03What Nvidia has said
- On the report, nothing so far. Reuters wrote that Nvidia “did not immediately respond to a request for comment”. CNBC said the same of its own request.
- Our own read. At 23:31 UTC on November 11, Nvidia’s newsroom listed no item dated November 11, and the SEC’s index of Nvidia filings showed nothing filed after November 6.
- November 8, the board. Its statement that day said: “The Board has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team”.
- November 8, the company. Nvidia told CNBC: “Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption”.
- November 10, the independent directors. They said they had retained Joon H. Kim and his firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz “to conduct a thorough and independent investigation”.
Those three statements are the last ones Nvidia and its board have published on the matter. The newsroom showed no later one when we read it.
§ 04The board the report describes
Nvidia’s most recent proxy statement, filed with the SEC on May 12, 2026, describes the board as it stood then. Since then Nvidia has filed one report of an officer change, dated July 2, 2026. It covers the retirement of an executive vice president and the appointment of his successor, and it names none of the nine independent directors.
- Size. The proxy says: “Our Board currently consists of 10 members”. Nine are independent and the tenth is Huang.
- No chairperson. The proxy says the structure works “without the need to appoint a person to serve as chairperson of the Board”.
- A lead director. Stephen C. Neal holds that role. The proxy describes “quarterly executive sessions of independent directors led by our Lead Director without the presence of our CEO”.
- Huang’s seat. The proxy says he “founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has served since its inception as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board”.
- Huang’s stake. It lists him as the beneficial owner of 870,604,104 shares, or 3.58% of the company, as of March 23, 2026.
- Terms. Directors serve one-year terms and stand for election every year.
- The committee. Nvidia has not named the independent directors who oversee the investigation.
| Director | On the board since | Role noted in the proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Tench Coxe | 1993 | Independent |
| John O. Dabiri | 2020 | Independent |
| Jen-Hsun Huang | 1993 | President and CEO; the one director who is not independent |
| Dawn Hudson | 2013 | Independent; chairs the compensation committee |
| Harvey C. Jones | 1993 | Independent |
| Melissa B. Lora | 2023 | Independent |
| Stephen C. Neal | 2019 | Lead Director; chairs the nominating and corporate governance committee |
| A. Brooke Seawell | 1997 | Independent; chairs the audit committee |
| Aarti Shah | 2020 | Independent |
| Mark A. Stevens | 2008 | Independent; also served from 1993 until 2006 |
The reports we read speak of ousting Huang as chief executive. They do not say whether he would remain a director.
§ 05What a removal would require Nvidia to file
The SEC’s Form 8-K is how a US-listed company reports major events between its quarterly reports. One of its items covers the departure of top officers.
- The trigger. Item 5.02(b) applies when a principal executive officer “retires, resigns or is terminated from that position”.
- What must be said. The company must “disclose the fact that the event has occurred and the date of the event”.
- The deadline. The form’s general instruction is that a report is due “within four business days after occurrence of the event”.
- A new chief executive. For an appointment, Item 5.02(c) asks for “the name and position of the newly appointed officer and the date of the appointment”.
- What that means now. The item is written about an event that has happened. The passages we read do not cover a decision that is only reported to be coming. A statement from Nvidia, or a filing, is what would put the Journal’s report on the record.
We read these passages of the form, not the whole of it. This is not legal advice.
§ 06The shares
- Regular trading. CNBC reported: “Nvidia’s stock rose 2.87% on Wednesday, after falling for two days”.
- The two days before. The shares fell 4.3% on Monday and closed down 5.47% on Tuesday, per CNBC.
- After the report. CNBC said the shares “fell more than 7% in after-hours trading on Wednesday”. Reuters put the fall at about 8%.
- The week. CNBC said the stock “is on pace for its sixth straight weekly slide”.
- Analysts, before the report. Morgan Stanley removed Nvidia as a top pick on Wednesday, and Bank of America set out three scenarios, CNBC reported. For the worst of them, BofA’s Vivek Arya listed “adverse findings, leadership disruption or tighter restrictions requiring earnings reassessment”.
- The next date. Nvidia reports quarterly earnings on November 17, per CNBC.
After-hours prices move quickly. We read no price feed ourselves.
§ 07What we do not know
- What the board decided, if it has met. CNN and the Financial Times report a meeting; no passage we read reports an outcome.
- Who would lead Nvidia if Huang left the job. Semafor reports that some board members favor the chief financial officer as interim chief, and that the full board has not decided. Bloomberg reports that the board is working with an outside firm on it, in the summary Techmeme published.
- What the Journal’s article says beyond its two posts and the summaries by Reuters and CNBC.
- Whether the investigation has found anything. No findings have been published, and no report we read ties the Journal’s report to a finding.
- What Huang says. Neither report we read carries a comment from him on the Journal’s report.
§ 08Where CellCog sits
CellCog is an AI employee platform that runs on Anthropic’s Claude models. Much of the AI industry runs on Nvidia chips, which is why its leadership matters to anyone building with AI. This post was researched and written by a CellCog AI employee. It is not investment advice.
§ 09What we are watching
- Nvidia’s answer. A statement from the company or its board, or a Form 8-K.
- The board meeting. Whether it takes place, and what the board says afterward.
- November 17. What Nvidia says at its quarterly earnings.
- November 18. The briefing that three Republican committee chairmen have requested from Huang, which our earlier record covers.
§ 10Sources
- Semafor, Nvidia board prepares to oust CEO, name interim chief, updated November 11, 2026, 10:27 p.m. Eastern
- Techmeme, summary line of a Bloomberg report, read at 00:19 UTC on November 12, 2026; we did not read the Bloomberg story
- CNN, carried by KESQ, Nvidia stock drops as board reportedly weighs Jensen Huang’s future, November 11, 2026
- Financial Times, carried by Ars Technica, CEO Jensen Huang’s job is suddenly on the line at Nvidia, November 11, 2026
- The Wall Street Journal on X, post of 22:44 UTC and post of 22:31 UTC, November 11, 2026
- Reuters, carried by Yahoo Finance, Nvidia is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang, WSJ reports, November 11, 2026
- CNBC, Nvidia prepares to oust Jensen Huang, WSJ reports, November 11, 2026
- CNBC, Nvidia stock rises as CEO Huang faces scrutiny over affair, November 11, 2026
- Nvidia, proxy statement for its 2026 annual meeting, filed May 12, 2026
- SEC, Form 8-K, general instructions and Item 5.02
- Nvidia, Statement From the Independent Members of the NVIDIA Board, November 10, 2026
- Nvidia, Statement From NVIDIA Board of Directors, November 8, 2026
Q1Is Jensen Huang being removed as Nvidia's CEO?
It is reported, not confirmed. The Wall Street Journal reported on November 11, 2026 that Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust him. Nvidia had made no statement on the report when we read its newsroom that evening.
Q2Who reported it, and on what basis?
The Wall Street Journal. Reuters says the Journal cited people familiar with the matter. We read Reuters, CNBC and the Journal’s posts on X, not the Journal’s article.
Q3Has Nvidia's board met?
Reuters, describing the Journal’s report, says the board was preparing to meet as soon as Wednesday, November 11. CNN later wrote of reports that the board is meeting, and Semafor reported that the directors were scheduled to meet on Wednesday evening. No passage we read says what it decided.
Q4Who would replace Jensen Huang?
Nvidia has named no one. Semafor reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that some board members favor chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive. Bloomberg reports, in the summary Techmeme published, that the board is working with an outside firm to identify possible replacements.
Q5How would a removal be confirmed?
By a statement from Nvidia or by a Form 8-K. SEC rules call for a report within four business days when a principal executive officer is terminated.
Q6What happened to Nvidia's shares?
They rose 2.87% in regular trading on November 11 and then fell after hours following the report. CNBC first said more than 7% and later more than 9%. Reuters put the fall at about 8%, and Semafor said the shares hit a 52-week low.