US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind former Apple CEO Tim Cook as a potential successor to Jensen Huang at Nvidia, shortly after the chipmaker announced Huang’s resignation following revelations about his relationships with two women, one of them allegedly a Chinese spy.
Nvidia has named CFO Colette Kress as interim chief executive and initiated a search for a permanent replacement.
The company said it would consider both internal and external candidates.
“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.
Even before Trump’s endorsement, Cook was being discussed as a possible external candidate, alongside Rene Haas, chief executive of UK-based chip designer Arm Holdings.
“Nvidia is likely to favour an internal appointment initially but could look externally for a more permanent replacement,” said Jun Bei Liu, founder and lead portfolio manager at Ten Cap, as reported by the BBC.
Liu said Cook could be an interesting choice given his experience managing global supply chains, although she questioned whether he would leave Apple, where he currently serves as executive chairman.
Why Tim Cook could be a contender
According to Saxo chief investment strategist Charu Chanana, Cook’s experience succeeding Steve Jobs, managing global supply chains and overseeing a successful leadership transition could reassure Nvidia investors.
“Having already stepped back from day-to-day management at Apple, he is an interesting external possibility. However, Nvidia’s competitive advantage depends heavily on semiconductor innovation, so Cook would need strong technical leadership alongside him. His willingness to take on another demanding CEO role also remains uncertain,” she said.
Cook led Apple through a period of extraordinary expansion, taking it past the $1 trillion, $2 trillion and $3 trillion market capitalisation milestones.
During his tenure as CEO, Apple’s shares gained more than 2,200%, the company sold over 3 billion iPhones and returned nearly $900 billion to shareholders through stock buybacks.
His strength, however, extended beyond managing product demand and financial performance.
Cook built an extensive global supply chain and oversaw the integration of Apple’s growing portfolio of products and services.
His experience navigating geopolitical tensions could also appeal to Nvidia, which faces its own challenges over access to the Chinese market and US export restrictions.
Cook maintained relationships with both Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their trade conflict, securing an exemption for iPhones from US tariffs last year.
Apple also shifted a substantial portion of its manufacturing away from China towards countries including India and Vietnam, while continuing to attract Chinese consumers.
Cook remains actively involved in Apple’s global political and diplomatic engagement as executive chairman, a role that could complicate any move to Nvidia.
Internal candidates remain in focus
Prediction market Kalshi has also highlighted potential internal successors.
Traders assign Ian Buck, the vice president overseeing Nvidia’s hyperscale and high-performance computing business, a 35% chance of replacing Huang.
Kress, who is currently serving as interim CEO, has a 29% probability, according to Kalshi traders.
Huang’s departure has also drawn attention to Trump’s unusually close relationship with the Nvidia founder, who had become an influential voice in US artificial intelligence policy.
Huang advocated preserving access to open-source AI and lobbied for allowing Nvidia to export advanced chips to China, making him an important interlocutor for the administration as Washington shaped its technology and trade policies.
AI disclosure: AI tools assisted with research and drafting of this piece. An Invezz editor reviewed the facts, sources and wording before publication. Any opinions or analysis are Invezz’s, not those of an automated system.
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