Jensen Huang admits affair as Nvidia board investigates

The Nvidia CEO's confession

Jensen Huang, sixty-three, admitted in a letter to Nvidia employees that he cheated on his wife of forty years. He wrote, "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children."

“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children.”

The alleged Chinese spy connection

U.S. officials believe Huang's romantic interest is Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen suspected of being a spy for China's Ministry of State Security. Alice Huang is unrelated to Jensen Huang.

Megaspeed's chip purchases

Megaspeed, a Singapore-based AI infrastructure company, purchased four point eight billion dollars in Nvidia chips over two years. The U.S. and Singapore investigated the firm over suspicions it illegally shared chips with China.

A second affair emerges

The New York Times reported Huang also had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare who reports directly to him. Huang, Nvidia and Powell have not confirmed the report.

Board prepares to oust Huang

The Wall Street Journal reported Nvidia's board is preparing to oust Huang. Nvidia shares fell about eight percent in after-hours trading Wednesday and are down eleven percent in five days.

Huang's management style

Huang delegates very little and has about sixty direct reports. The company has not had an obvious successor or a succession plan, raising questions about leadership continuity.

Congress demands answers

Three Republican committee chairmen requested a closed-door briefing with Jensen Huang. House China committee Chairman Moolenaar said Wednesday on Fox Business that if Huang doesn't agree, he'll likely be subpoenaed.

The chip smuggling network

Alice Huang and her family built a network of companies in China and Singapore to acquire Nvidia chips.

Nvidia's lawyer intervenes

Nvidia's head lawyer Tim Teter intervened in a twenty twenty-five U.S.government probe into suspected chip smuggling by Megaspeed.

Early warning signs

In early twenty twenty-five, Alice Huang and a business partner sought China-based investors for an Asian data center, promising they had no problem securing GPUs.

Trump briefed but takes no action

Around late twenty twenty-five, President Donald Trump was briefed about intelligence findings that Chinese spy Alice Huang had formed a close relationship with Jensen Huang. Trump did not act on this information.

Secret memo circulates

In spring twenty twenty-six, U.S. officials circulated a secret memo warning that Megaspeed's Alice Huang was a spy for China's Ministry of State Security. Secretary of State Marco Rubio supervised the drafting of the memo.

Nvidia denies impropriety

When the New York Times broke the story in late October, Nvidia spokesperson John Rizzo said Jensen's interactions with Alice Huang were not unusual. "Meetings with customers are part of a CEO's job," Rizzo said.

“Meetings with customers are part of a CEO's job; Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year.”

Trump shows public support

President Trump weighed in on Huang's controversy on Sunday night, calling him a fine person. When asked if Huang should remain chief of Nvidia, Trump said, "I think so. Oh yeah, sure."

“I think so. Oh yeah, sure.”

Board investigation launched

Nvidia's board of directors initiated an independent investigation into Huang's conduct. Huang wrote that he supports the investigation and will cooperate fully, saying he is committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security.

“I support the investigation and will cooperate fully. I love our country and our company.”

Why Nvidia matters to national security

The U.S.and China are in a fierce technological arms race to build advanced AI infrastructure.