Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang returned to the company’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Monday 9 November and led his regular morning meeting with senior executives. He opened the closed-door meeting by addressing his extramarital affair and apologising to staff, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the meeting. The people said Huang did not take questions. He then moved on to business and the day’s main agenda items.
The people CNBC cited asked not to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Employees described the mood inside the company as “sad”, according to the report. One employee told the broadcaster they were shocked by Huang’s disclosure.
What Jensen Huang disclosed, and why Nvidia’s board opened an investigation
Huang, 63, told Nvidia employees in an email on Sunday 8 November that he had had an extramarital affair. The email does not say with whom he had the relationship. “I was unfaithful to my wife,” he wrote, as reported by Al Jazeera. He also wrote that he hoped “over time” to earn back staff trust, CNBC reported.
The disclosure followed a New York Times report on 29 October. The newspaper reported that a Chinese woman had sought close ties with Huang to gather information about Nvidia’s technology. The Financial Times reported that Huang had been in a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed. She is not related to Jensen Huang. Megaspeed became one of Nvidia’s largest buyers, purchasing about $4.8bn in equipment, according to Al Jazeera.
The claim that she sought to gather information for China is unverified. No charges have been reported, and no US authority has published any finding. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, called the allegation “unsubstantiated” on 9 November. TalkEsport has reported separately on claims linking Alice Huang to a Shanghai chip distributor.
Nvidia’s board said on 8 November that a committee of independent directors would investigate, with outside counsel. The board said it had “no reason to believe” that national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised. It also expressed confidence in Huang, who continues to lead the company during the review. The board hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on Tuesday 10 November, CNBC reported. As we covered in our report on Nvidia’s choice of investigators, the firm is leading the probe. Nvidia has not said when the review will end or whether its findings will be published.
What the Huang inquiry means for Nvidia and for Washington
Nvidia lost about $450bn in market value in a single trading day in the week before the board’s announcement, during a wider sell-off in AI shares, Al Jazeera reported. Nvidia shares were down 5.47% on 10 November, according to CNBC market data. CNBC did not attribute the 10 November move to a single cause.
The affair has also drawn attention to Huang’s role in Washington. He accompanied President Donald Trump on a trip to China in May, CNBC reported. In September, Huang and his wife sat at the same table as Chinese President Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner. CNBC reported that the disclosure has brought more scrutiny of Huang’s support for wider AI chip sales to China.
Members of Congress from both parties have demanded answers. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said Huang and the board “owe Congress answers”, according to Al Jazeera. Republican representatives John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford have called on Huang to testify. President Trump said he had not heard that Huang had “done anything wrong”. Huang has not publicly addressed the allegations about Alice Huang beyond his email to staff.
The House members have asked Huang to testify on 18 November. Nvidia has not said whether he will appear.
