Colette Kress, who takes over for now, will be a familiar face internally and that must feel reassuring to some at Nvidia.
She’s worked at the firm for 13 years and for those who follow the firm’s considerable finances, she is often present on earnings calls. She is a billionaire in her own right and a high-flying tech exec.
But she’s not an engineer and Nvidia’s products are highly technical.
She will have to convince investors that it is business as usual for Nvidia, that the innovation for which it is renowned can continue at its existing pace, and that the top talent won’t leave with Huang.
A wobbly Nvidia would be bad news for the entire AI industry because its ever-advancing chips drive the most powerful AI models, and it’s also regarded as something of a central bank, loaning money to other firms.
As for Huang himself, we assume for now that the investigation into his relationship with the woman accused of being a Chinese spy will continue, and the results of that may well determine what he does next.
He probably won’t be short of offers despite his conduct – and I expect Nvidia’s rivals can’t believe their luck that their formidable rival has taken himself out of the game. Elon Musk has already said it would be “an honour” to work with him at SpaceX.
It’s important though to remember that even if Huang turns out not to have betrayed his company or his country, he still betrayed his wife of 41 years, Lori Huang.
And for her, it’s not a story of tech, temptation and trillion-dollar-valuations.
It’s a painfully personal matter.