Arm Stock Took a Hit Because Investors Fear Nvidia Might Poach Its CEO. Is It Time to Sell?
Nvidia's board has reportedly approached Rene Haas about replacing Jensen Huang. So investors suddenly have to price in the risk of losing the leader behind its data center push.
Arm Holdings (ARM) shares experienced a 5% decline, settling around $189 on Friday after the Financial Times revealed that Nvidia (NVDA) had approached Arm CEO Rene Haas about taking over from Nvidia's former CEO Jensen Huang, who had resigned on Thursday. Nvidia later clarified that they had not formally engaged with any potential candidates, calling the speculation premature.
The report, however, prompted Arm investors to consider the potential impact of losing Haas, who has been instrumental in the company's growth and transition. Haas, who joined Arm in 2013 from Nvidia, led the company through its 2023 IPO and has been a key figure in Arm's expansion beyond smartphone chips. Arm's recent financial performance has been strong, with revenue rising 27% to $1.44 billion in the latest quarter, and the company expects its share of servers at top cloud firms to surpass 60% by the end of 2026.
Despite the market reaction, Arm remains optimistic about its prospects, particularly with its new data center processor, the Arm AGI CPU, which is projected to generate up to $2 billion in revenue by 2028. The company's ownership structure, with SoftBank Group owning about 86%, could potentially influence future decisions, but Arm's continued growth and strategic position in the AI chip market suggest that a CEO change may not be a dealbreaker.
Investors should monitor any updates from Arm or SoftBank regarding Haas's plans before making significant decisions.
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