Jensen Huang Once Rejected Nvidia Succession Talks: “I Don’t Want My Daughter to Succeed Me, Either”

[Financial News] It has emerged that Jensen Huang rejected the search for a successor in the past, as Nvidia faces a crisis over the CEO’s affair scandal without a clear succession plan.
The New York Times (NYT), a U.S. daily, reported on the 11th (local time), citing former executives, that discussions about the need to establish a succession plan had continued within Nvidia for several years, but Huang rejected the idea.
Rene Haas, CEO of Arm, who worked at Nvidia for about seven years and rose to the position of vice president, described the mood at the time: “He didn’t like the idea. He thought a succession plan would encourage competition among executives and cause divisions.”


In fact, rather than adopting a hierarchical structure like that of a typical company, Huang has maintained a one-man rule in which about 60 executives report directly to him.
But this structure is deepening concerns amid the “CEO crisis,” after Huang admitted to having an affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, triggering a crisis involving his personal morality and national security.
Since the incident, Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress and Vice President Ian Buck have been mentioned by some as “alternatives,” but no successor has broad support inside or outside the company.
Huang has empowered his daughter, Madison Huang, a senior director of product marketing; his son-in-law, Vice President Nico Caprez; and his son, Spencer Huang, a director of robotics product management, by appointing them to senior positions. However, he denied speculation that he considers his daughter a successor.
In an interview from last month that Bloomberg published after the incident, he flatly said, “First of all, I don’t want my daughter to take that position.”
He continued, “If that’s Spencer’s or Madison’s ambition, they have to win that position for themselves. It’s really, really hard, and it takes a lot of sacrifice.”
He also said that he would like to continue serving as CEO even 20 years from now, if he remains healthy and able to do his part.
Since the incident, Nvidia’s board has formed a committee led by independent directors and hired an outside law firm to investigate. However, some have questioned the independence of the board’s investigation.


Many of the directors are Huang’s allies, and they have been connected for so long that their combined tenure totals 161 years; as a result, there are concerns they will be unable to hold the management team in check.
Not only within Nvidia but also across Silicon Valley’s tech industry and among investors, an all-out effort to defend Huang is broadly underway.
Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire acknowledged on X (formerly Twitter) that Huang had made mistakes, but said, “He is indispensable to U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI).” SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk also posted, “I agree.”
Billionaire hedge fund manager and Pershing Square chairman Bill Ackman also defended him, saying, “He is taking full responsibility” and “Even the greatest people make mistakes.” Antonio Gracias, founder of Valor Equity Partners, likewise argued, “One mistake does not erase a lifetime of leadership.”
Their all-out effort to “save Jensen Huang” is understood to stem from the fact that Nvidia’s advanced chips are a critical resource that shapes the AI technology ecosystem.

[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Specialist Reporter