Nvidia's next chief executive would ideally come from inside the company, with a handover potentially 20 years away, founder and then-chief executive Jensen Huang said in an interview recorded last month.
His departure has brought that succession question forward. Nvidia appointed Colette Kress interim chief executive and said it would consider internal and external candidates for the permanent job, Bloomberg Television reported.
The channel aired the interview excerpts in “Nvidia Looks for a New Era After Huang,” published Nov. 14. Huang spoke during a trip through Europe, before his resignation.
Huang described running Nvidia as a responsibility that extended beyond the company. “I'm responsible for an entire industry,” he said. “The pressure of being the CEO is high, and it's supposed to be high.”
He said the job should neither be easy nor be taken for granted. He had not understood the full extent of its demands when he decided to become chief executive.
“That's what I signed up for,” Huang said. He described the position as requiring sacrifice and responsibility, adding that his family and others close to him could see what it took.
Anyone considering that responsibility would have to decide whether they wanted to make the same sacrifice. He then turned to who might eventually take over the company.
“I'm really hoping that the next CEO of the company is already at the company,” Huang said. He did not name a candidate in the excerpts that aired.
His preferred timetable depended on his health and his ability to keep doing the job. “I hope I stay healthy, and I hope I continue to earn my keep,” he said.
He returned to the prospect of an internal successor two decades later, while making clear that employment at Nvidia alone would not qualify someone for the position. “But they have to earn it.”
On China, Huang defended his efforts to persuade U.S. policymakers that Nvidia should continue serving the market. He described access to Chinese customers as something he had tried to preserve for as long as possible.
“I think we made a mistake, and this mistake is hard to unwind,” Huang said. “But I did my best. That's all I could do.”
He also said China had more artificial intelligence researchers than any other country. He distinguished competition with China from hostility: “Even though we compete against China, they're not our enemies.”
The excerpts contained no named successor, firm departure date or detailed handover plan. His comments expressed a preference for continuity, conditional on his remaining healthy and continuing to earn his position.
