The former chief executive of Nvidia criticized the woman who replaced him as chief, labeling her incapable of managing the chipmaker’s high-level financial strategy. In a clash during the late summer, Jensen Huang called then-CFO Colette Kress a “deer in the headlights” and a “reporting CFO” who was unable to help him make decisions or define a strategy to fund the AI infrastructure boom, according to reports.
The friction occurred as Nvidia struggled to secure transactions for a $500B financing vehicle launched with several asset managers. While Huang promoted the initiative on CNBC, the plan failed to produce any deals after partners expressed concern that the company’s risk backstop was too low. Kress, who Huang accused of being too restrictive regarding the company’s balance sheet, was later named CEO following Huang’s departure.
