Nvidia Corp's 10-member board of directors is under scrutiny as it weighs the future of chief executive Jensen Huang following reports of his alleged extramarital affairs, including one involving a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.63-year-old Jensen Huang has led Nvidia since it was founded in 1993. (AFP)At a meeting that continued late into Wednesday night, the board discussed potential successors and the possibility of appointing an interim chief executive, news agency Reuters reported.The discussions mark a sharp shift from Sunday, when Nvidia's board had expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership, according to Reuters.The succession question assumes significance as the 63-year-old Huang has led the chipmaker since its founding in 1993.Also Read | Nvidia preparing to remove CEO Jensen Huang amid affair probe: ReportThe trouble for Nvidia began after his close relationship with Alice Huang, a data center executive who was accused by US intelligence of spying for China, came to light. The Nvidia CEO, in a memo to employees on Sunday, acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and ātook full responsibility.ā On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Jensen Huang had also had an extramarital affair with a company executive who reported to him.The reports led to Wall Street raising questions about Nvidia's leadership and Jensen Huang's personal conduct, even as the company's board launched an internal investigation into the matter, Reuters reported.
Nvidia's stock slid around 7% in early Frankfurt trading on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal first reported that the company was preparing to fire Huang.Nvidia's board now faces a crucial decision on whether to retain the 63-year-old leader who steered the company, now the world's dominant supplier of artificial intelligence chips, through an extraordinary period of growth. Here are the 10 members who will decide Jensen Huang's fate in the company.Stephen C.
NealStephen C. Neal joined the Nvidia board in March, 2019 and holds an AB (Bachelor of Arts) degree from Harvard University and a JD (Juris Doctor) degree from Stanford Law School.
He is chairman emeritus and senior counsel of the law firm Cooley LLP, where he was the CEO from 2001 to 2008. He joined Cooley in 1995.According to Nvidia's website, Neal brings extensive legal experience, having been a trial lawyer on a broad range of corporate issues, and has represented and advised numerous boards of directors, special committees of boards, and individual directors on corporate governance and other legal matters.He has also served on the board of directors of Levi Strauss & Co. from 2007 to 2021 and as chairperson from 2011 to 2021.Also Read | Nvidia shares sink 9% amid reports of possible CEO Jensen Huang ousterJohn O DabiriDabiri has been a board member since 2020, and is a decorated academic who has received a National Medal of Science and funding from the MacArthur Foundation.
He is the centennial professor of aeronautics and mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Dabiri holds a PhD degree in Bioengineering and an MS degree in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology, and a BSE degree summa cum laude in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University.He served on former US president Joe Biden's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and Energy Secretary Granholm's Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) from 2021 to January 2025.He heads the Dabiri Lab, which conducts research at the intersections of fluid mechanics, energy and environment, and biology.Tench CoxeCoxe, a billionaire and long-time Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has been on the board since 1993, an was an early investor in Nvidia.
He was managing director (MD)of Sutter Hill Ventures, a venture capital investment firm, from 1989 to 2020, where he focused on investments in the IT sector.Prior to joining Sutter Hill Ventures in 1987, he was director of marketing and MIS at Digital Communication Associates. He served as director of Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc., an institutional money management firm, from 1995 to 2025, according to Nvidia's website.
Coxe holds a BA degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.In January, Coxe donated $100 million from his fortune to help launch a medical center at the University of Texas at Austin, Bloomberg reported.Dawn HudsonHudson joined the NVIDIA board in 2013, and serves on the boards of various companies. She served as chief marketing officer for the National Football League from 2014 to 2018.
Prior to that, she was vice chairmanof The Parthenon Group, an advisory firm focused on strategy consulting, from 2009 to 2014.She was president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America, the beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc. for the U.S. and Canada, from 2005 to 2007, and simultaneously served as CEO of the foodservice division of PepsiCo, Inc. during the same period. She was a director of P.F.
Changās China Bistro, Inc., a restaurant chain, from 2010 to 2012, and has 13 years of experience in marketing, advertising and branding strategy.She holds a BA degree in English from Dartmouth CollegeHarvey C JonesJones joined Nvidiaās board in 1993. He has been serving as managing partner of Square Wave Ventures, a private investment firm, since 2004.
Jones has been an entrepreneur, high technology executive, and active venture investor for over 30 years.He co-founded Daisy Systems Corp., a computer-aided engineering company, in 1981. Jones co-founded Tensilica Inc., a privately held technology IP company that developed and licensed high performance embedded processing cores, in 1997.
Jones holds a BS degree in Mathematics and Computer Sciences from Georgetown University and an MS degree in Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Melissa B LoraMelissa B Lora joined the Nvidia board in 2023 and has served in several senior executive roles over her 31-year career, including the Taco Bell Corp. She has served as president of Taco Bell International at her retirement in 2018.Lora served on the board of directors of KB Home, a homebuilding company, from 2004 to April 2024, and has served on the board of directors of Conagra Brands, Inc., a consumer packaged goods holding company, since 2019.
She holds a BS degree in Finance from California State University Long Beach and an MBA degree emphasizing Corporate Finance from the University of Southern California.Brooke SeawellBrooke joined the Nvidia board in 1997, and has served as executive vice president at NetDynamics Inc, an application server software company, from 1997 to 1998. He was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Synopsys Inc from 1991 to 1997.He serves on the board of directors of Tenable Holdings, Inc., a cybersecurity company, and one privately held company.
Seawell served on the board of directors of Tableau Software, Inc., a business intelligence software company, from 2011 to 2019. He also previously served as a member of the Stanford University Athletic Board and on the Management Board of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
He holds a BA degree in Economics and an MBA degree in Finance from Stanford University.Aarti ShahAarti Shah joined the Nvidia board in 2020, and serves on the boards of various companies and non-profit organisations. Shah worked at Eli Lilly and Company for 27 years until 2021 and served in several functional and business leadership roles, including a senior vice president.Shah serves on the board, strategic planning committee, and global and technology committee of St.
Jude Children's Research Hospital and American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), a non-profit organization. She also serves as the secretary and a trustee of the non-profit organization, Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur USA.She holds BS and MS degrees in Statistics and Mathematics and completed her PhD degree in Applied Statistics from the University of California, Riverside.Mark A StevensStevens joined the board in 2018 and previously served as director from 193 to 2006.
He has been the managing partner of S-Cubed Capital, a private family office investment firm, since 2012. He was managing partner at Sequoia Capital, a venture capital investment firm, from 1993 to 2011.Previously, he held technical sales and marketing positions at Intel Corporation.
Stevens is a trustee and the chair of investment committee of the University of Southern California. He holds a BSEE degree, a BA degree in Economics and an MS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.Also Read | What happens in Nvidia, will not stay in Nvidia | Number TheorySuzanne Nora JohnsonJohnson joined the Nvidia board in July, and is retired vice chairmanof The Goldman Sachs Group, where she spent 21 years in various leadership roles.
She currently serves on the board of directors of Pfizer.Nora Johnson previously served as board chair and a director of Intuit Inc from 2007 to 2025, as a Director of Visa Inc from 2007 to 2022. She holds a JD degree from Harvard Law School and a BA degree from the University of Southern California.