Colette Kress Tells Nvidia Staff It Is an 'Extraordinarily Difficult Period' and Sets November 18 All-Hands

Nvidia's new interim chief executive, Colette Kress, has broken her silence with her first message to employees since Jensen Huang stepped down, telling staff the company is going through an "extraordinarily difficult period" and announcing a company-wide meeting on November 18 to discuss what comes next.

Kress sent the email to all employees on Thursday, November 12, hours after the board named her interim chief executive following Huang's resignation. In it, she thanked staff for their "resilience, professionalism and continued dedication" and said she believed deeply in the company and its future. "More than anything, I believe in each of you, in our customers and partners and in the vital role we play every day in the global economy," she wrote.

Notably, the message did not mention Huang by name. Instead, Kress focused on the workforce, calling employees the company's greatest strength and crediting their daily work for everything Nvidia has achieved.

A meeting the day after earnings

The all-hands meeting is set for November 18 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, the morning after Nvidia reports its third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, November 17, with the earnings call scheduled for 2 p.m. PT. Kress told staff they would hear more from leadership in the coming days about the company's future together.

The timing means Kress will not get a quiet start. Her first week in charge opens with one of the most closely watched earnings reports of the year, followed a day later by a meeting where employees are expected to press leadership for answers about the company's direction.

Kress, who has been Nvidia's chief financial officer since 2013, is running the company while keeping her CFO role. The board is searching for a permanent successor from internal and external candidates, and Harvey Jones has become Nvidia's first board chair. For more on her background, see our profile of Colette Kress, the pragmatist now leading Nvidia.

A turbulent week for Nvidia

The message closes a week of upheaval at the world's most valuable chipmaker. Huang stepped down as chief executive and board member on November 12, ending more than three decades at the company he co-founded in 1993. The board has since launched an independent investigation into allegations involving potential national security risks, and reports have raised questions about the company's business dealings in China.

The turmoil has also hit the share price. Nvidia reportedly lost around $430 billion in market capitalisation over two days following Huang's admission that he had been unfaithful to his wife, a sharp reversal for a company that became the world's first $5 trillion firm in October 2025 on the back of booming demand for its artificial intelligence chips.

What happens next

For now, Kress's message is a holding note rather than a strategy: steady the workforce, promise more detail soon, and put a date on the calendar. The November 17 earnings report and the November 18 all-hands will be the first real tests of how she plans to lead Nvidia through the crisis — and whether investors and employees buy into the plan.

Sources

• Oneindia — Nvidia Interim CEO Colette Kress Breaks Silence, Says Company Is Going Through Difficult Period
• Times of India — Colette Kress sends her first email to employees as Nvidia interim CEO after Jensen Huang's resignation
• BusinessToday — Jensen Huang exit: Interim CEO Colette Kress, Chair Harvey Jones rally Nvidia staff in internal memos
• Chosun Biz — Interim CEO Colette Kress acknowledges difficult period, plans all-hands meeting