Trump Says Tim Cook Should Replace Huang as Nvidia CEO in 'Legend' Pick

President Donald Trump says former Apple chief Tim Cook should replace Jensen Huang as Nvidia's chief executive — "a legend replaces a legend" — in a Truth Social post on Thursday, November 12, 2026. The intervention came hours after Huang resigned from the world's most valuable AI company, leaving its board to search for a successor while its shares slid.

Key Points

• President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that former Apple CEO Tim Cook should replace Jensen Huang as Nvidia's chief.
• Trump wrote: "A Legend replaces a Legend!" — but there is no indication Nvidia has selected Cook; the board is weighing internal and external candidates.
• Huang, 63, resigned on Thursday as Nvidia's president, CEO and board member with immediate effect, after reports of two affairs, one with a woman US authorities suspect of spying for Beijing.
• CFO Colette Kress is interim CEO, and the board named Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever chairman while the search for a permanent successor goes on.
• Nvidia shares fell sharply on Thursday, opening about 10% lower and down 6.5% to $162.31.

What Happened

Trump posted his pick on Truth Social on Thursday, shortly after Nvidia confirmed Huang's resignation. "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!" the president wrote.

The post put the White House into one of the most consequential corporate succession races in years. Nvidia's next chief will inherit a company under investigation, under congressional scrutiny and under shareholder pressure after a week that erased hundreds of billions of dollars from its value.

There is no sign the board has acted on Trump's suggestion. Nvidia named Kress interim chief and said it would search for a permanent successor, considering internal and external candidates. Cook, 65, stepped down as Apple CEO on September 1, 2026, after 15 years since 2011, and is now Apple's executive chairman. Apple and Cook did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Background: Huang's Sudden Resignation

Huang's departure ended one of the longest chief executive runs in corporate history. He co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led it for 33 years, turning a graphics-chip maker into the centre of the AI revolution. At its peak this year, Nvidia became the first company valued at more than $5 trillion.

The crisis began on Sunday, November 8, when the board launched an independent investigation after reports Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. That day Huang admitted to employees he had been unfaithful to his wife: "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."

The board said it had "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised." But the Wall Street Journal reported the board had learned of two affairs — one with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive US intelligence officials believe works for Chinese intelligence, and a second, reported by the New York Times, with Kimberly Powell, a senior Nvidia healthcare executive. Nvidia gave no reason for the resignation.

Tim Cook as Nvidia CEO: Why Trump Picked Him

Trump is close to both men, and his post framed the succession as a simple swap of two of the most famous chief executives in American business. He said on Monday, November 9, that he had spoken to Huang, who told him he did not know the woman was suspected of spying for China.

Cook's record is the obvious case for him. He ran Apple for 15 years, from 2011 to 2026, building it into the world's most valuable company and steering it through supply-chain crises, trade wars and the shift to services. As executive chairman he remains closely involved at Apple, which complicates any move.

The idea also carries political logic. Nvidia's chips are treated in Washington as a strategic asset, subject to export controls meant to keep advanced technology out of China's hands. A chief executive trusted by the president, with deep supply-chain experience, would appeal to a board under pressure from the White House, Congress and regulators.

Reactions: "A Dark Horse Candidate"

Wall Street was cautious. Analyst Dan Ives called Cook "a dark horse candidate … given the global importance of Nvidia to the overall US tech industry" — a serious name, but far from the favourite. Prediction markets favoured Nvidia executive Ian Buck at 29% and Kress herself at 28%, ahead of Cook.

Investors kept selling. Nvidia shares opened about 10% lower on Thursday and were down 6.5% to $162.31, on pace for a new 52-week closing low. The stock has lost about $600 billion in market value this week, and its value was set to fall below $4 trillion for the first time since July 2025.

Nvidia has said nothing about Trump's post. The board's priority is stability: Kress, CFO since September 2013, keeps her finance role while leading the company, and Jones takes a chairman's seat the company had never filled separately.

Why It Matters

Nvidia is not just another large company. It is the bellwether of the AI trade, the stock most closely tied to the trillion-dollar bet that AI will transform the global economy. Whoever runs it must navigate export controls, a Justice Department probe into chip shipments to China, and a congressional briefing Huang must attend on November 18.

What Happens Next

Nvidia reports third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Tuesday, November 17, as scheduled — the first test of how the company performs without its founder. Huang has been asked to appear at a closed-door congressional briefing the next day, November 18, where lawmakers are expected to press him on the affair and the chip shipments to China. Until a successor is named, the stock is likely to stay volatile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Trump really say Tim Cook should run Nvidia?

Yes. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday, November 12, 2026: "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!"

Has Nvidia chosen Tim Cook as its next CEO?

No. There is no indication Nvidia has selected Cook. The board named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO and is searching for a permanent successor, weighing internal and external candidates.

Why did Jensen Huang resign?

Nvidia said Huang resigned with immediate effect on Thursday, November 12, 2026, a day after the board met to decide whether to remove him over two reported affairs, one with a woman US officials suspect of spying for China.

Who is running Nvidia now?

CFO Colette Kress is interim CEO while keeping her finance role, and board member Harvey C. Jones is the company's first-ever chairman.

What happened to Nvidia's share price?

Nvidia shares opened about 10% lower on Thursday and were down 6.5% to $162.31, on pace for a new 52-week closing low.

Related coverage: Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO after spy affair scandal; Nvidia board preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang.