00:00Jensen Huang is stepping down as CEO of NVIDIA, ending his 33-year reign at the company he
00:06co-founded and sending shockwaves through the artificial intelligence industry.
00:10His departure follows reports of two extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman U.S.
00:17intelligence officials reportedly suspect of having ties to Chinese espionage.
00:21NVIDIA's board launched an investigation into potential national security concerns,
00:26although the company has not publicly confirmed that sensitive information was compromised.
00:31Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has been named interim CEO,
00:35while longtime board member Harvey Jones takes over as chairman.
00:39NVIDIA's shares plunged more than 12 percent following the announcement,
00:43threatening to erase roughly $500 billion in market value.
00:47The leadership crisis comes just days before NVIDIA's next earnings report,
00:51with analysts expecting revenue to surge more than 90 percent to approximately $109 billion.
00:59Now investors are questioning whether the world's dominant AI chipmaker
01:02can maintain its extraordinary growth without the man who helped build its empire.
01:08NVIDIA has not officially attributed Huang's resignation to the allegations.
