Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Resigns; Trump Suggests Tim Cook as His Successor

U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed an unexpected candidate to lead Nvidia, saying that former Apple CEO Tim Cook should replace the company’s former chief executive, Jensen Huang.  According to the British news agency Reuters, President Trump said in a social media post that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had resigned and that there was only one suitable person to replace him: former Apple chief Tim Cook. Describing Cook as a legend, Trump said that one legend could take the place of another. His remarks come at a time when the question of appointing a new chief executive at Nvidia has attracted attention following a leadership change at the company.

Tim Cook stepped down as Apple’s chief executive officer in September this year after serving in the position for approximately 15 years. He now serves as the company’s executive chairman. During his tenure, Apple significantly expanded its global presence through the iPhone and its other products and business operations. Close ties have developed between President Trump and senior executives of major U.S. technology companies during his second term in office. Tim Cook also met Trump last year, during which he presented the U.S. president with a special plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold stand. The plaque was created to commemorate Apple's American manufacturing programme. On the occasion, Apple also announced an additional investment of $100 billion in its U.S. production operations.

Meanwhile, Jensen Huang has also been regarded as one of the technology industry figures with close ties to President Trump. Over the past two years, he has supported U.S. government policies and made increasingly frequent visits to Washington, where Nvidia has been seeking approval to sell its advanced chips in the Chinese market. Jensen Huang resigned on Thursday as Nvidia's chief executive officer and a member of its board of directors. The development came after reports emerged about his alleged relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who is suspected by U.S. officials of being involved in espionage on behalf of China.

According to reports, President Trump said on Monday that he had discussed the matter with Huang, who told him that he had been unaware of the woman's alleged links to espionage. Nvidia has immediately handed over the company's chief executive responsibilities on an interim basis to its chief financial officer, Colette Kress. However, Trump's suggestion of Tim Cook as Huang's replacement remains his personal opinion for the time being. Nvidia has made no announcement about appointing Cook as its permanent chief executive.