Nvidia has held three earnings calls in 2026, lasting roughly 3 1/2 hours in total. In that time, finance chief Colette Kress fielded analysts' questions five times, according to a review of call transcripts, while Jensen Huang dominated proceedings.
That is a contrast with the situation at most other big companies, where top executives often weigh in on topics according to their expertise. At Nvidia, the pattern has been for Kress to introduce the results, then hand over the mic.
As interim CEO, she will be in the hot seat when Nvidia reports its earnings on Tuesday. The call would be a high-stakes moment even if Huang were absent for more prosaic reasons.
Kress can expect questions about Nvidia's vast spending commitments and investments in the AI ecosystem. When Nvidia executives were discussing those financial pressures in a closed-door meeting this summer, Huang called her "a deer in the headlights," the Journal reported.
Here are the five times Kress fielded questions on earnings calls so far this year, starting with the most recent.
Aug. 26 (second quarter)
-- Kress weighed in after Huang's answer to an analyst's question about Nvidia's spending commitments. She said the spending was necessary "to build the products we need."
May 20 (first quarter)
-- In response to a question about demand for Nvidia's Vera Rubin data-center architecture, she said it was too early to say whether growth would match the record pace of the company's GB300 platform.
Feb. 25 (fourth quarter of Nvidia's previous financial year)
-- A two-part question about the Rubin ramp-up and whether gaming revenue would grow this year (it was too soon to say).
-- Asked about the relative growth rates of hyperscale data centers and other customers, Kress and Huang answered without specifics.
-- Asked whether Nvidia could step up share repurchases, Kress said the company would look carefully at its capital return but that "one of the most important things we can do" was supporting the broader AI ecosystem.