Key points
- Trump says Apple's Tim Cook should replace Jensen Huang at Nvidia
- Nvidia's board says it will look at internal and external candidates
- Cook has been Apple's executive chair since leaving the CEO job in 2026
President Donald Trump said on Nov. 12 that Tim Cook of Apple (AAPL) should be the next chief executive of Nvidia (NVDA), less than two hours after Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned.
"NOW THAT Nvidia CEO JENSEN HUANG, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place - TIM COOK of Apple. A Legend replaces a Legend!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at 10:29 a.m. ET. The post doesn't say whether Trump has discussed the idea with Cook, Apple, or Nvidia's board.
Nvidia shares were at $165.08 at 11:54 a.m. ET, down 5.0% from Wednesday's close of $173.73. Apple shares were at $357.34, up 0.5% from their Wednesday close of $355.63.
Nvidia's board is searching for a CEO
Nvidia's board named chief financial officer Colette Kress interim CEO and is searching for a permanent one. The board will consider internal and external candidates, according to Nvidia's release, which names no candidates and gives no timeline. Our profile covers Kress's career, pay, and Nvidia stock sales.
Cook left Apple's CEO job this year
Cook was Apple's CEO from 2011 to 2026 and is now executive chair of its board, according to his Apple biography. John Ternus is Apple's CEO. Cook joined Apple in 1998 and has been a director since 2011. He also serves on the board of Nike.
Trump has praised Huang during the scandal
Trump called Huang "honorable" on Nov. 8, Reuters reported, the day Nvidia's board opened an investigation into reporting that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. In Thursday's post, Trump said Huang "has done a fantastic job." The post doesn't mention the affairs or the investigation.
We're tracking each development on our Jensen Huang scandal timeline.
Cover image: screenshot of Donald Trump's Nov. 12 Truth Social post.
