Trump says Tim Cook should run Nvidia; Huang agrees to brief Congress
President Donald Trump said Thursday that former Apple CEO Tim Cook should replace Jensen Huang, who resigned as Nvidia's chief executive that morning. Huang has indicated he is willing to brief House lawmakers about Nvidia's security protocols and his ties to a woman U.S. officials suspect is a Chinese intelligence asset, Rep. Brian Mast said.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
What's new: Hours after Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's chief executive on Thursday, President Donald Trump said former Apple CEO Tim Cook should take the job. "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 on Truth Social. Separately, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) said Huang has indicated he is willing to brief House lawmakers, NBC News and CBS News reported.
On Cook: Cook stepped down as Apple's CEO on Sept. 1 and is now its executive chairman. Trump did not say whether Cook has any interest in the job, Fox Business noted, and Apple and Nvidia did not immediately respond to The Verge. Nvidia's board has said its search will consider internal and external candidates. In a Straight Shooter podcast interview published Thursday, Trump said Huang would be "very hard to replace" and that "Tim Cook would be a great candidate to run Nvidia." He added that he spoke with Huang "yesterday" and that Huang is "going through hell."
Congress: The chairs of the House China, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Mast and Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), wrote Thursday asking Huang to sit for a closed-door interview on Dec. 1, and said the Foreign Affairs Committee will issue a subpoena if he does not accept by Friday evening, CBS News reported. "We need to know the full extent to which our national security has been put at risk," the chairs said. Moolenaar said Huang's resignation "does change the dynamic" and that the goal is to "get him in as soon as possible." Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.) asked Huang to testify voluntarily in the first week of December, and asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to appear at a public hearing next month. A Lutnick spokesperson, Kristen Eichamer, told NBC News on Thursday that the secretary had agreed to appear voluntarily.
Why it matters
Nvidia is one of the largest companies in the S&P 500, so its swings move the index funds in many Americans' retirement accounts, and it supplies most of the chips behind the AI build-out. The hearings could also test whether the Commerce Department did enough to keep Nvidia chips out of China; The New York Times reported that a Commerce probe into Megaspeed was halted last year, according to CBS.
More context
From both parties: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said testimony "would make sense" given the national security interests involved, CBS reported. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that Congress "must demand answers" from Huang and others at Nvidia, and that "the Trump administration must also answer for what it did" once it learned of the relationship. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told CNN he wants to hear from Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: "This is serious as an aneurysm." Trump, a friend of Huang's, has said he doesn't believe Huang knew the woman was a spy.
The resignation: Nvidia's board announced Thursday morning that Huang, who co-founded the company in 1993, resigned as president, chief executive and a director, effective immediately. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress is interim CEO and will keep the CFO job until a permanent successor is named. Longtime director Harvey C. Jones, a former Synopsys chief executive, became the board's first chair. Nvidia shares fell as much as 14.3% Thursday before closing down 4.3% at $166.19. On Friday they were at $159.74, down $6.45, or 3.88%, according to CNBC as of 11:11 a.m. ET; those figures can still change before the close. The company still plans to report quarterly earnings on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
What led to it: On Sunday, Huang told staff he had been "unfaithful" to his wife after reports that U.S. officials believe a woman he was involved with, a former executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, was a Chinese intelligence asset; China denies that. Megaspeed is under investigation in the U.S. and Singapore over alleged smuggling of banned chips into China, which it denies, CBS reported. The New York Times then reported a second relationship, with an Nvidia executive who reported to Huang; Reuters and NBC News said they could not verify that report. No evidence has been publicly established that Huang disclosed confidential information, Fox Business noted.
Timeline: Oct. 29, the Times reports U.S. officials' spy concerns. Nov. 8, Huang admits an affair and the board opens a probe, saying it has no reason to believe secrets were compromised. Nov. 10, the board names Wachtell Lipton and former acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim to run it. Nov. 11, the Times reports a second relationship, and the board meets on Huang's future. Nov. 12, Huang resigns, Kress becomes interim CEO, Trump backs Cook, and House chairs set a Dec. 1 request with a Friday deadline.
What's still unknown: whether Huang formally accepts the Dec. 1 interview by 8 p.m. ET Friday or is subpoenaed; whether Cook, or anyone outside Nvidia, is actually under consideration; and how the board's independent investigation concludes. As of Friday morning, there was no public report that Huang had formally accepted or been subpoenaed.
Sources across the spectrum This story cites right-leaning and left-leaning outlets. Every source is listed below.
12 listed sources
- NVIDIA Newsroom, NVIDIA Announces CEO Transition, Nov. 12, 2026:
- CBS News (Kathryn Watson), GOP lawmakers push Jensen Huang and Howard Lutnick to appear before Congress after Nvidia controversy, Nov. 12, 2026:
- NBC News (Jared Perlo, Zara Morris, Brennan Leach), Jensen Huang agrees to brief Congress on interactions with alleged spy, lawmakers say, Nov. 12, 2026:
- Fox Business (right-leaning; Bradford Betz), Trump says 'there is only one man' to replace Jensen Huang as Nvidia CEO, Nov. 12, 2026:
- The Verge, Donald Trump really wants Tim Cook to run Nvidia, Nov. 12, 2026:
- POLITICO, Jensen Huang agrees to testify before Congress, Nov. 12, 2026:
- The Guardian live coverage, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns over scandal and is replaced by CFO Colette Kress on interim basis, Nov. 12, 2026:
- BBC News live coverage, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns after reports of second affair deepened scandal, Nov. 12, 2026:
- Reuters via Investing.com, Nov. 11, 2026:
- The Washington Post, Nov. 11, 2026:
- Nvidia board statement, Nov. 10, 2026:
- NBC News, Howard Lutnick agrees to testify as bipartisan pressure grows over Nvidia scandal, Nov. 12, 2026:
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Updated Nov. 12, ~7:10 p.m. PT with Trump's call for Tim Cook to lead Nvidia and lawmakers' requests for Huang's testimony. Trump's quotes come from his Truth Social post as reported by CBS News, Fox Business and The Verge, and from his Straight Shooter podcast interview as quoted by The Verge. Mast's statement that Huang is willing to appear follows NBC News and CBS News; the Dec. 1 date and Friday-evening subpoena deadline follow CBS News. POLITICO separately reported, citing one person familiar with the matter, that Huang agreed to testify. The resignation, Kress's interim appointment and Harvey C. Jones's role come from Nvidia's Nov. 12 announcement. Reports that U.S. officials suspect the woman was a Chinese intelligence asset are unconfirmed by the U.S. government publicly; China denies it, and Fox Business noted no evidence has been publicly established that Huang disclosed confidential information. Outlet lean, for transparency: Fox Business is generally seen as right-leaning; NBC News and POLITICO as left-leaning; Nvidia, CBS News, The Verge, Reuters, BBC and The Guardian are listed without a tag. Updated Nov. 13 morning: Nvidia price from CNBC as of 11:11 a.m. ET ($159.74, down 3.88%); figures can change before the close. Lutnick's agreement to testify is from his spokesperson, Kristen Eichamer, as reported by NBC News on Thursday. The House Friday-evening subpoena deadline had not passed at writing; US Brief found no public report Friday morning that Huang had formally accepted the Dec. 1 date or been subpoenaed.
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