From BBC News · · 2m
Jensen Huang resigns after affairs rock Nvidia
The tech CEO who shaped AI's rise steps down following revelations of two affairs, leaving uncertainty at the helm of a company central to US-China competition.
In brief
The tech CEO who shaped AI's rise steps down following revelations of two affairs, leaving uncertainty at the helm of a company central to US-China competition. Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO on Thursday after revelations of two affairs, creating uncertainty at a company worth nearly four trillion dollars that…
The tech icon in freefall
Jensen Huang, 63, known for his black leather jacket at shareholder events, resigned on Thursday following back-to-back revelations of two affairs that shattered his carefully cultivated image as a devoted family man.
First affair with alleged Chinese spy
On October 29, the New York Times reported Huang had conducted a relationship with Alice Huang, a businesswoman associated with Singapore-based firm Megaspeed. US officials allege she is a Chinese intelligence asset.
Second affair with Nvidia colleague
After admitting to being unfaithful and apologising to his family, a second affair was reported with Kimberly Powell, vice president of healthcare at Nvidia who has worked there for eighteen years.
Why Huang's departure matters
Nvidia is valued at nearly four trillion dollars and dominates the market for microchips powering artificial intelligence. The company is central to the US's race for technology leadership with China.
From workaholic to visionary
Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 after meeting his wife Lori Mills at Stanford University, where they were lab partners. He has two children, Madison and Spencer, both in senior roles at the company.
A fortune built on AI dominance
Born in Taiwan in 1963, Huang amassed an estimated fortune of one hundred forty-five billion dollars according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He was dubbed the Taylor Swift of tech for his influence.
The image he worked to build
Stephen Witt, author of Thinking Machine, told the BBC that Huang had gone to great lengths to present himself as a family man.He praises his wife in glowing ways and keeps his children very close.
“He praises his wife, he talks about her in very glowing ways.”
Trump backs a successor
After the second affair was reported, Huang stepped down following a board meeting. Trump said Huang had done a fantastic job and proposed Tim Cook of Apple as a suitable replacement.
What to remember
Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO on Thursday after revelations of two affairs, creating uncertainty at a company worth nearly four trillion dollars that dominates the AI chip market.
