President Donald Trump wants Tim Cook as Nvidia CEO now that Jensen Huang has resigned from the job. Nvidia’s board, not the White House, chooses the successor, and it has named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO while it searches.
Trump posted on Truth Social today 12 that Huang did a fantastic job and that Cook is the only man to replace him, ending with “A Legend replaces a Legend!” Cook is still at Apple as executive chairman, after John Ternus became CEO on September 1.
Tim Cook as Nvidia CEO Needs the Board
Nvidia disclosed Huang’s resignation in an SEC filing on November 12. Huang stepped down as president, CEO and board member effective immediately, after 33 years leading the company he co-founded in 1993. Kress has been Nvidia’s CFO since 2013 and keeps that job while she serves as interim CEO, and Harvey C. Jones becomes the first-ever chair of the board.
Huang resigned days after he acknowledged an affair on November 8. Nvidia’s board had opened an investigation into reports that a foreign intelligence effort targeted him. The board said it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia’s secrets were compromised, and that its inquiry would review all available information.
The board is starting a search for a permanent CEO and will consider internal and external candidates. Cook would be an external candidate, and Trump’s post gives him no standing in that search. Kress said she is committed to building on the foundation Huang created.
Nvidia has not named a permanent successor. Kress remains CFO, so one executive holds both the finance and chief executive roles until the board names a permanent CEO. Nvidia still reports third-quarter fiscal 2027 results on November 17 as scheduled, with the earnings call at 2 pm Pacific time.
Cook Is Apple’s Executive Chairman
Cook ran Apple for 15 years, from August 2011 until his final day as CEO on August 31. As executive chairman he helps with company matters that include outreach to policy leaders internationally.
Apple’s market value grew from about $350 billion to $5 trillion under Cook. On September 1, Ternus also joined Apple’s board and Arthur Levinson became lead independent director.
Trump has set the two executives side by side before. At a May 2025 investment forum in Riyadh he praised Huang for joining the White House delegation on the Middle East trip and said Cook was not there.
Cook also attended a White House dinner in September 2025 where he praised Trump’s leadership, and Trump posted praise for Cook in April, the day after Apple announced the handover.
Our Take
I do not expect Cook to leave Apple for Nvidia. He handed over the CEO role only on September 1, and Nvidia’s board will weigh internal and external candidates, so the post stays Trump’s opinion about who should lead the company. The next concrete step is November 17, when Nvidia reports third-quarter results with Kress as interim CEO.
