Nvidia Board to Weigh Jensen Huang’s Future
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to cheating, triggering a board review after reports of affairs with an alleged spy and a direct report.
TL;DR
- Jensen Huang admitted cheating on his wife of 40 years.
- One affair involved an alleged Chinese spy at Megaspeed; another was with Nvidia VP Kimberly Powell.
- Board meets soon on his future as stock fell 8% after hours.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted he cheated on his wife of 40 years. The fallout now includes an alleged affair with a woman U.S. officials suspect is a Chinese spy and a second reported relationship with a company executive who reports directly to him.
Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, is at the center of the national security concerns. The company bought $4.8 billion in Nvidia chips over two years and faces Justice Department scrutiny over possible illegal transfers to China. Huang linked his infidelity to those concerns in a letter to employees and said the board launched an independent investigation.
The New York Times reported Huang also had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare. Five current employees told the paper the pair were filmed being affectionate at a San Jose hotel during a conference earlier this year. Powell reports directly to Huang.
The Wall Street Journal said Nvidia’s board plans to meet as soon as Wednesday to decide Huang’s future. The stock dropped about 8 percent in after-hours trading and is down 11 percent over the past five days. Huang has long kept tight control with roughly 60 direct reports and no clear successor in place.
Three Republican House chairmen asked Huang for a closed-door briefing on the national security issues and warned he could face a subpoena if he declines. Huang canceled upcoming appearances at the ElevenLabs Summit and Anthropic CEO Forum.
The Tea
This mess hits Nvidia at the worst time. The company sits at the center of the U.S.-China AI chip race, Huang runs it with almost no delegation, and now the board is openly weighing whether he stays. One affair already triggered a spy probe and congressional heat; the second one inside the company just made the ouster talk louder.
Sources
- TechCrunch: The unfolding Jensen Huang scandal: a timeline
- TechCrunch: Nvidia’s stock drops as board reportedly preps to oust CEO Jensen Huang
- TechCrunch: Jensen Huang accused of having another affair — with an Nvidia exec
- The Verge: Nvidia is reportedly preparing to fire Jensen Huang
- TechCrunch: Congress to call Jensen Huang in to answer for alleged Chinese spy affair
- TechCrunch: Is Jensen Huang’s bad behavior more commonplace than it seems?
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