Apple, Alphabet and Uber survived major founder transitions. Nvidia will be a harder test

Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., during a Bloomberg Television interview in London, UK, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.Jose Sarmento Matos | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJensen Huang is not the first CEO to leave a company he helped build.But experts told CNBC that his sudden resignation from Nvidia at a critical juncture is unique and leaves his eventual successor with challenges in leading the company that's powering the artificial intelligence boom.In 33 years, Huang, who resigned on Thursday amid reports of extramarital affairs, including with a woman U.S. intelligence believes is a spy for China, made the company he co-founded the world's most valuable.Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein wrote on X that he was "indispensable" but "the graveyards are filled with indispensable men," referencing a quote attributed to French leader Charles de Gaulle.While the board looks for a new CEO and CFO Colette Kress does the job temporarily; analysts say Huang's charisma and bullish drive will be hard to replicate."I'm not sure we've seen a situation quite like this, where the founder and CEO of one of the world's largest companies faces such a sudden departure amid scandal," Michael Withers, professor of management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, told CNBC.Whoever follows will "face challenges that go well beyond those of a typical CEO replacing a founder," he added.When founders step backApple's image was inseparable from Steve Jobs when he resigned in 2011. But unlike Nvidia, the company had had other CEOs — and an internal successor.Tim Cook invested in Apple's chip strategy and services business and became a key corporate diplomat in dealings with the U.S. and Chinese governments. He was known as an operator who controlled Apple's supply chain. Cook had "considerable preparation" for becoming CEO, Withers said. Apple's market cap went from about $350 billion to $4 trillion in his 15-year tenure.Larry Page and Sergey Brin left their executive roles at Alphabet in 2019, 21 years after founding Google.Page and Brin's departures were expected. Page said at the time that it was the "natural time" to simplify the company's management structure. Alphabet shares are up more than 300% since then under Sunder Pichai.Travis Kalanick left Uber in 2017 after mounting pressure over a series of scandals and governance concerns.But his departure "unfolded over several months, and while it certainly attracted attention, it pales in comparison to what Nvidia is currently facing," Withers added.Former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi repaired the organization and found a path to profitability.What's different about Huang's departureWithers said successor CEOs often struggle "under normal circumstances" to juggle maintaining what made a company successful while establishing their own leadership."It becomes considerably more difficult when the transition follows such a high-profile scandal involving the company's founder," he added.Huang had an extraordinary 60 direct reports, as part of a flat structure that favored fast communication over layered hierarchies.Withers told CNBC Nvidia did not appear to have a succession plan for Huang, who is also often described as inextricably linked to the company."We're talking about a company that was, until recently, the largest in the world by market capitalization. That's a pretty remarkable situation," he added.Challenges after HuangAs well as having to "step out of his shadow," the new CEO will have to deal with the "scandal" arising from Huang's conduct and "the extent to which it sticks with Nvidia," Withers said.Huang's successor will also have to tackle the longer-term business strategy, while picking up the relationships he managed.Huang cultivated a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and accompanied him to China in May. Huang consistently pushed for the U.S. to relax export restrictions that prevent Nvidia from selling its chips to the world's second-largest economy.He also managed close relationships with the bosses of the company's key suppliers, from SK Hynix to Samsung.Storm Uru, co-head of the Global Innovation team at Nvidia investor Liontrust Asset Management, said two key priorities were changing company culture and managing the supply chain.The supply chain was "where Jensen was able to provide a vision for the future and able to bring people to the table and to expand capacity to enable the build-out of this technology," Uru told CNBC, adding it mattered especially "when supply chains are already so tight."Nvidia continues to face rising competition from rivals such as AMD and hyperscalers, which are ramping up efforts to develop their own chips.Investors noted that the new CEO will have a roadmap of products for the next few years, unaffected by Huang's removal."We have to look beyond Jensen ... there are thousands upon thousands of engineers," Joanne Feeney, partner and portfolio manager, Advisors Capital Management, told CNBC on Thursday, as pressure was mounting on Huang to go.