Goa, Nov. 12 -- For 33 years, Jensen Huang was synonymous with Nvidia, guiding the chipmaker from a 1993 startup into the undisputed engine of artificial intelligence-and briefly to a historic $5 trillion market valuation. Yet that legendary run ended abruptly today when Huang resigned as president, chief executive officer, and board member "with immediate effect," handing the reins to Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO.

Despite stepping away from the corner office, Huang remains one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet. According to Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires list, his estimated net worth stands at $151.2 billion, ranking him 11th globally.

Huang's wealth is overwhelmingly tied to his equity stake of more t...