The list also includes Nvidia CFO Colette Kress, who was named interim CEO following Huang’s resignation, Nvidia Vice Chairman Ian Buck, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and others. To be clear, these are all major players in the tech world with deep knowledge of the chip industry.
What’s less clear from the report is whether the list of candidates was obtained from an Nvidia source or simply some educated speculation by Bloomberg reporters, but it makes sense that Srouji would be considered. A longtime executive and face of Apple keynotes, Srouji has led Apple’s chip efforts from the beginning, including the development of the first A4 chip in the iPhone and the M1 chips in the Mac.
Apple’s A-series chips are a big reason why the iPhone remains the best-performing smartphone in the industry, and Mac hardware’s transition from Intel chips to Apple silicon has been a huge success that has contributed to the Mac’s growing market share. They continue to set the standard for mobile and desktop processors, and have disrupted the consumer chip industry as manufacturers struggle to compete.
Srouji was named Apple’s chief hardware officer earlier this year, at the same time Tim Cook announced his retirement as Apple CEO. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in December 2025 that Srouji seriously considered leaving Apple, and there is speculation that the promotion to CHO was part of an effort to keep him at the company. “I don’t plan to leave anytime soon,” Srouji reportedly told his staff in response to Gurman’s report. But that was then, and being handed the reins of one of the world’s largest companies might make him reconsider his decision.
Less likely to be a candidate is Tim Cook, who resigned as CEO on September 1. His name was not included in the Bloomberg report, but President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social network that Cook is the “only man” who could take Jensen’s place as CEO. “A legend replaces a legend!” he wrote.
