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Akbar Novruz

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Huang’s departure followed reports of extramarital relationships, including one involving a businesswoman whom US officials reportedly linked to Chinese intelligence, and another involving a company subordinate.

The allegations prompted concerns over potential national security implications for a company central to the global artificial intelligence industry. Nvidia shares fell sharply following the announcement.

The sudden resignation of Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang has triggered speculation on social media about Israeli influence over the American chipmaker’s leadership, with some users alleging an “Israeli coup” following the appointment of chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive.

The claims have gained attention amid Nvidia’s extensive business operations in Israel and reports identifying several Israeli technology executives as possible candidates to succeed Huang. However, no evidence has emerged establishing that Israeli officials or interests orchestrated the leadership transition.

Nvidia confirmed on November 12 that Huang had resigned as president, chief executive and a member of its board of directors. Kress, who has served as the company’s chief financial officer since 2013, was appointed interim CEO while retaining her existing financial responsibilities.

The board said it would consider both internal and external candidates in its search for a permanent successor. Harvey C. Jones was also appointed the company’s first board chair.

Israeli executives emerge in succession speculation

The leadership change has brought renewed attention to Nvidia’s connections with Israel, where the company maintains significant research and engineering operations.

Israeli news outlet Ynet reportedly identified three Israeli technology figures among potential successors to Huang: Nvidia Chief Technology Officer Michael Kagan, former Mellanox Technologies chief executive Eyal Waldman and Apple hardware executive Johny Srouji.

Their inclusion in media speculation has been cited by some social media users as evidence of an alleged effort to consolidate Israeli influence over the company.

However, being identified as a possible candidate in a media report does not establish involvement in Nvidia’s formal succession process.

A separate source of online speculation has been a 2023 interview Kress gave to the Israeli business newspaper Globes.

In that interview, Kress reportedly described beginning her working day with meetings involving Nvidia’s Israeli executives before turning her attention to operations in California.

Social media users have recirculated those remarks following her appointment, portraying them as evidence of the importance of Israeli personnel within Nvidia’s corporate structure.

The comments, however, describe routine business coordination across international operations and do not establish political involvement in the company’s leadership decisions.

Nvidia’s Israeli operations form a major part of its business

The controversy has unfolded against the backdrop of Nvidia’s longstanding commercial and technological presence in Israel.

In 2020, the company completed its acquisition of Israeli networking technology firm Mellanox for approximately $7 billion, significantly expanding its capabilities in high-performance computing and data-centre networking.

The acquired business has since become an important component of Nvidia’s infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence and accelerated computing.

Industry reports have estimated that Nvidia employs approximately 6,000 people in Israel, making the country one of its major engineering centres outside the United States.

These commercial ties help explain why Israeli technology executives feature in discussions about Nvidia’s future leadership. They do not, however, demonstrate that the company’s management decisions are directed by the Israeli government.