Trump Suggests Tim Cook for NVIDIA After Jensen Huang Resigns

By Marcus Bennett

NVIDIA’s market value fell by more than $855 billion between the prior Friday’s close and Thursday’s low, TechCrunch reported; Jensen Huang had resigned on Nov. 11, and President Donald Trump named Tim Cook as his preferred successor on Nov. 12.

The succession now sits inside a company that generated $96.221 billion in fiscal Q2 2027 revenue, up 105.85% year over year. NVIDIA’s board, not the president, controls the permanent appointment, making Trump’s endorsement political commentary rather than a corporate action.

What did NVIDIA’s board authorize?

NVIDIA filed a Form 8-K regulatory filing on Nov. 12, 2026, disclosing the leadership change. The filing said the board accepted Huang’s resignation as president, CEO and director on Nov. 11, effective immediately.

CFO Colette Kress, 59 according to the filing, became interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement. She also remains CFO. Harvey C. Jones, 73 according to the filing, became chair after serving as a director since 1993.

Trump posted on Truth Social at 10:29 a.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 12. His statement read:

“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!”

Reuters reported that Apple and Cook did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The post reflected Trump’s personal opinion, separate from any nomination, offer or action by NVIDIA’s board.

That distinction matters. A president can amplify a candidate publicly, but cannot appoint one without board action. For shareholders, the legal search and the media campaign now run on separate tracks.

Why does Huang’s exit matter during rapid growth?

TechCrunch also reported that Huang resigned days after admitting to a romantic affair with an alleged Chinese spy. That account placed a personal controversy alongside a leadership transition disclosed through the Nov. 12 filing.

The business was still expanding. NVIDIA reported fiscal Q2 2027 revenue of $96.221 billion, up 105.85% year over year, including $89.023 billion from Data Center. It guided Q3 revenue to $108.0 billion, plus or minus 2%.

On NVIDIA’s earnings call, Huang said “everybody is really running flat out” across the supply chain.

Hedgeye’s Felix Wang told Bloomberg:

“Without Jensen guiding the suppliers… you’re probably going to see more delays.”

Wang’s warning makes the succession an operating question, not merely a title change. The cited risk is supplier execution at a company whose next-quarter revenue guide is $108.0 billion. Under the structure NVIDIA disclosed Nov. 11, Kress must run that operation while the board conducts its search.

Where does Tim Cook stand now?

MacRumors and TechCrunch reported that Cook stepped down as Apple’s CEO on Sept. 1, 2026. TechCrunch put his tenure at 15 years. Cook now serves as Apple’s executive chairman.

MacRumors wrote:

“There is no indication that Cook actually wants to be Nvidia’s CEO.”

TechCrunch reported that Yale’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld proposed Cook in a Time op-ed, pointing to “an unparalleled track record of succeeding a bigger-than-life founder.” The proposal remained an outside recommendation, not an NVIDIA hiring action.

Apple’s own transition supplies the closest operating comparison. John Ternus held his first earnings call as CEO on Nov. 2, 2026.

Ternus reported record September-quarter revenue of $114.477 billion and fiscal 2026 revenue of $478.834 billion. 24/7 Wall St. reported that Apple shares were up 32.16% year to date.

MacRumors, citing Semafor, reported that Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji was among the people NVIDIA was considering. The possibility widened the public discussion beyond Cook without changing who could formally make an appointment.

How large was the market repricing?

Motley Fool reported that NVIDIA closed at $166.19 on Nov. 12, down 4.34%. At 1:03 p.m. ET Friday, the stock traded at $160.70, down 3.3% on the day.

TechCrunch reported that NVIDIA’s market value had peaked at $5.88 trillion in early October. At Thursday’s low, the company had lost more than $855 billion since the prior Friday’s close.

CBS News separately reported that the stock was on track to lose more than $700 billion since the prior week’s close. Yahoo Finance counted nine downgrades over two days.

The figures describe overlapping periods. The $855 billion TechCrunch figure runs from Friday’s close to Thursday’s low; CBS framed the drawdown from the prior week’s close. Neither measure changes the board’s authority or identifies a permanent successor.

Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives values NVIDIA at $225 a share without Huang and $300 with him. He said:

“we cannot see Jensen running Nvidia as CEO at this point.”

Swissquote’s Ipek Ozkardeskaya took the other side:

“There is no credible way to put a precise revenue loss on his departure.”

The disagreement concerns valuation rather than the disclosed revenue trend. NVIDIA had just reported $96.221 billion for the quarter and issued a $108.0 billion next-quarter guide.

Who else is in the search?

The president can post about the job, but only NVIDIA’s board can fill it. The Financial Times reported that the board has approached Rene Haas, CEO of Arm Holdings.

Haas spent about seven years at NVIDIA, and the FT described him as one of several candidates. Shortly after Trump’s post, one estimate shared on social media put the chance of Cook getting the job at 5%.

That 5% figure contrasted the president’s public preference with an unofficial market estimate. Neither Trump’s post nor the social-media forecast changes the board’s legal role. A formal offer would still require action from NVIDIA.

What happens on Nov. 17?

Motley Fool reported that NVIDIA reports earnings on Nov. 17, 2026. Kress is scheduled to hold a company-wide meeting on Nov. 18.

The immediate financial test is the $108.0 billion Q3 guidance, including its plus-or-minus 2% range. A second test is gross margin, a profitability ratio, which the source placed near an approximately 74.0% target.

Any statement from the board on a permanent CEO timetable will carry weight alongside those figures. The Nov. 17 report and Nov. 18 meeting will therefore test two immediate issues: whether NVIDIA reaches its own revenue guide and whether the board can put a timetable on a search that already carries a market-value loss above $855 billion.