Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has acknowledged an extramarital affair as the company launched an independent investigation into reports that he was the “target of a foreign intelligence effort.”
In a note to staff, Huang described himself as “unfaithful” and said he had hurt his wife and children. “I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it,” the 63-year-old wrote, adding that he supports Nvidia’s investigation and is “committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security.” He did not name the other person involved.
Nvidia launches independent investigation
Nvidia said a committee of independent directors and outside counsel will oversee the probe into reports that U.S. officials suspect Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The board said in a press release that it “prioritizes US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders,” and that it “has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised.”
A Nvidia spokesperson said: “Today’s news will not slow NVIDIA. Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption.”
Analysts and commentators warned the episode could increase scrutiny of chip sales to China and weigh on investor confidence. Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at merchant bank Yorkville & Ives Co., described the development as “a black eye moment for Jensen” that could raise questions about chip exports and leadership continuity at the company he co-founded.
Jacob Ward, a tech journalist, noted that corporate boards historically move quickly against chief executives caught in extramarital affairs and warned that Nvidia’s outsized role in AI makes any leadership questions particularly consequential. “It is a core of the American economy, if not the world economy right now,” Ward said, adding that Huang is a central figure at the company.
China connection and security concerns
The investigation follows reports that Huang had a close relationship with an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang. Several U.S. outlets have reported that American officials suspect Alice Huang has passed intelligence to China and helped divert advanced AI chips into the country.
U.S. intelligence was reported to have believed the two were in a romantic relationship. Nvidia previously said that the CEO’s meetings with customers were “not unusual or unexpected,” that meeting customer executives is part of a CEO’s job, and that concerns about illegal chip diversion had been “debunked last year.”
The U.S. government cleared 10 Chinese firms earlier this year to buy Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chips, though it is unclear how many chips have actually been sold following that approval.
Republican chairmen of three House panels — the committees on Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Communist Party and Intelligence — said they sent a letter requesting Huang appear before their committees to answer questions about his relationship with Megaspeed and the company’s security protocols. In the letter they wrote: “Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC’s access to sensitive US technology and information,” and added that the issue of PRC infiltration of cutting-edge U.S. technology is central to their investigative work this Congress.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun called the allegation that Alice Huang was gathering information for Beijing “purely groundless speculation and an attempt to smear and malign China.” A state-run tabloid accused U.S. media of inventing stories that could damage détente between the two countries.
On Chinese social media, Huang’s admission of infidelity became a top trending topic with more than 40 million views on the X-like platform Weibo, while the allegation that Alice Huang acted as a Chinese spy was largely absent from tightly controlled online discussions.
Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993. He married Lori Huang in 1985; they met in college and have two children. Nvidia has grown into one of the world’s largest companies, with a market capitalization that has exceeded $4 trillion as demand for AI chips surged.
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump said he had not spoken to Huang since the company announced the investigation, called Huang a “fine person” and praised his contribution to the country. Asked whether he regretted not acting after being briefed on the intelligence last year, Trump replied, “No I don’t think so. I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it.”
