After the unfortunate exit of Jensen Huang as Nvidia’s CEO and president, attention has now shifted to who could take charge of the AI chip giant next. While several names are being discussed, one name that has caught everyone’s attention is former Apple CEO Tim Cook. US President Donald Trump has suggested Cook for the top job at Nvidia. But can the man who took Apple forward after Steve Jobs now lead one of the world’s most powerful AI companies?
Cook’s name comes at a time when Nvidia is facing a major leadership transition. The US-based chipset giant has appointed its CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO while it looks for a permanent replacement.
However, there has been no official confirmation that Cook is being considered for the position or that Nvidia has approached him.
Why Is Tim Cook’s Name Coming Up?
Tim Cook is not new to running a big technology company. He took over as Apple’s CEO in 2011, following the death of Steve Jobs. During his leadership, Apple expanded its business beyond the iPhone and strengthened its position in services, wearables and other product categories.
Cook stepped down as Apple’s CEO in September 2026 and moved into the role of executive chairman. His experience in managing a global technology company, handling supply chains and maintaining relationships with governments could make him an interesting name for Nvidia.
Nvidia is no longer just a company that makes graphics cards. It has become one of the biggest players in the AI industry, supplying chips and computing infrastructure to companies building artificial intelligence models.
Managing such a business requires strong leadership and an understanding of the global technology market.
Cook also has experience dealing with international trade challenges, particularly Apple’s manufacturing dependence on China. Nvidia is facing similar challenges because of US restrictions on selling advanced AI chips to China.
Can Tim Cook Handle Nvidia’s Business?
This is where things get interesting. While Cook has experience running one of the world’s biggest tech companies, Nvidia’s business is very different from Apple’s.
Huang has been associated with Nvidia since he co-founded the company in 1993. Under his leadership, Nvidia moved beyond gaming graphics cards and became a major supplier of AI chips. He also played an important role in developing CUDA, Nvidia’s software platform that has become an important part of the AI ecosystem.
Cook’s strength, on the other hand, has largely been in business management, operations, supply chains and expanding Apple’s global business. He does not have the same background in semiconductor engineering and AI computing as Huang.
This does not mean Cook is not fit to lead Nvidia but replacing Huang would be a different challenge. The next CEO will have to manage Nvidia’s growing AI business, maintain its relationship with major customers and deal with increasing competition from companies such as AMD.
Who Else Can Replace Jensen Huang?
Apart from Tim Cook, Nvidia also has experienced executives who could be considered for the top position. CFO Colette Kress is currently serving as interim CEO and understands the company’s financial operations.
Ian Buck, who has been closely involved in Nvidia’s GPU computing and CUDA ecosystem, could also be an internal name to watch. Arm CEO Rene Haas is another technology executive whose name has come up in discussions around potential leadership candidates.
