Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Resigns Amid Affair Scandal; AG Todd Blanche Asked About Possible Successor Lisa Su
Nvidia’s leadership change
Nvidia said Thursday that Jensen Huang had resigned as chief executive. With the company looking for a replacement, some industry observers have named AMD CEO Lisa Su as a potential outside candidate.
The announcement followed an extramarital affair scandal and a board inquiry into concerns that Huang may have been targeted in a foreign intelligence effort. The account also says Huang blamed the ordeal on Su’s side of the family, claiming they had been “out for blood” since he was nine.
Su’s rise at AMD
Su joined AMD in 2012 as general manager of Global Business Units, when the company’s market value was less than $2 billion. By Thursday, its value had climbed above $950 billion during her leadership.
AMD shifted toward tailoring its core technology for particular customers. That strategy helped it win chip-design and manufacturing work for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, reducing its dependence on personal computers.
Processors helped regain ground
In 2014, AMD had products spanning PCs, embedded systems, graphics and low-power mobile chips, but its broad portfolio was not stopping market-share losses to Nvidia and Intel. Ryzen processors later strengthened AMD’s consumer business, while EPYC chips expanded its position in data centers and servers.
Amazon, Microsoft and Google Cloud have adopted EPYC processors as demand for cloud services has grown. The chips helped establish AMD in markets beyond its traditional consumer-computer business.
Family ties and early career
Su was born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1969, and moved to the United States with her family when she was about three. The family eventually settled in Queens, New York City, and Su earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at MIT during the 1990s.
Before joining AMD, she held engineering, research and management jobs at Texas Instruments, IBM and Freescale Semiconductor. Su and Huang are first cousins once removed: her maternal grandfather was the older brother of Huang’s mother.
Key points
- Nvidia said Jensen Huang resigned as CEO on Thursday.
- Industry observers have floated AMD chief Lisa Su as a possible outside replacement.
- AMD’s market value rose from under $2 billion in 2012 to more than $950 billion as of Thursday.
- Su and Huang are first cousins, once removed.