“It is A Mistake to Let Him Go” – CZ Criticizes Nvidia For Accepting...

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, has publicly stated that Nvidia made a mistake by accepting Jensen Huang's resignation as chief executive, president, and board member.

His comments come as Nvidia navigates a sudden leadership transition at a critical moment for the AI industry.

The company's CEO Jensen Huang stepped down after admitting to extramarital affairs. One involved an executive at a firm suspected of ties to Chinese intelligence; the other involved an Nvidia vice president.

CZ's criticism centers on the risks of losing a founder who shaped Nvidia's strategy, culture, and technological edge over three decades.

Succession planning at companies built around a single transformative leader often proves challenging, and Huang's departure raises questions about continuity in product vision, customer relationships, and long-term competitive positioning.

Nvidia's board accepted the resignation, ending Huang's roles effective immediately. The company has not yet detailed its full succession plan.

In the meantime, Colette Kress has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer. Kress has been part of Nvidia's leadership during its transformation from a graphics-processing company into one of the world's largest AI infrastructure businesses.

During her tenure as CFO, Nvidia's annual revenue increased from approximately $4.13 billion in fiscal 2014 to $215.9 billion in fiscal 2026. The board has expressed confidence in her ability to maintain operational continuity while it searches for a permanent CEO. Both internal and external candidates will be considered.

Market observers note that while Nvidia possesses deep technical talent and strong institutional processes, the loss of Huang's public presence and decision-making authority could temporarily affect investor confidence and strategic clarity.

CZ's remarks underscore broader concerns in the technology sector about founder-led transitions, especially at firms central to emerging technologies.

For more than three decades, Jensen Huang did more than lead Nvidia, he transformed it from a relatively obscure graphics-processing company into one of the most valuable businesses in the history of the technology industry.

His leadership journey represents one of the most remarkable examples of long-term value creation in corporate America, with Nvidia's market capitalisation increasing by trillions of dollars and its shares delivering extraordinary returns to investors.

When Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 alongside Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, the company's ambitions were centred on developing graphics-processing technology for computer games.

However, Huang saw possibilities beyond gaming. He believed graphics processing units (GPUs) could eventually become essential to a much wider range of computing applications, including scientific research, autonomous vehicles, data centres and artificial intelligence.

That long-term conviction became one of the most consequential strategic decisions in Nvidia's history. However, Huang's success was not built on technological innovation alone.

He also developed a reputation for communicating a compelling long-term vision to investors and consistently positioning Nvidia ahead of major technological transitions.

His presentations at Nvidia's annual GTC conferences became important events for the technology industry, where he unveiled new processors, software platforms, partnerships, and infrastructure ambitions.

His ability to explain complex technological developments in terms of future commercial opportunities helped investors understand why Nvidia's business could continue expanding beyond traditional semiconductor markets.

He also earned investor confidence through execution. Rather than simply promising that artificial intelligence would transform the world, Nvidia consistently translated growing AI demand into revenue, profitability, and shareholder returns

His eventual resignation on November 12, 2026, introduced another layer of uncertainty, particularly because he had remained the company's central strategic figure since its founding.

As Nvidia continues to operate without its longtime leader, attention will focus on how effectively the company maintains momentum in AI chip development and market leadership.

For investors who backed Nvidia during its earlier years, his leadership delivered extraordinary returns. The question now is whether the company can preserve the strategic direction, investor confidence, and industry relationships.