- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang confesses to affair with suspected Chinese spy
- Nvidia board says it has opened an internal investigation into Huang's behavior
- Company shares down 5% in pre-trading following news
Nvidia has opened an internal investigation into its CEO Jensen Huang after he was accused of having an affair with a suspected Chinese spy.
Huang has apologized for his actions in a letter to Nvidia staff, with the company saying it would now look into the incident, but was confident that no internal or national security secrets were compromised.
Nvidia shares were down 5% pre-trading on Monday, which might seem small, but it is one of the world's biggest companies, valued at around $4.50 trillion following its key role in powering the AI boom.
Jensen Huang affair
The Nvidia CEO is suspected of having an affair with Alice Huang (no relation), an executive for Megaspeed, a Singapore-based IT and cloud company currently under investigation for smuggling Nvidia GPUs into China.
Suspicion around an extra-marital relationship first arose in 2025, when US intelligence agencies watching Megaspeed and Alice Huang reported her relationship with the Nvidia CEO.
The New York Times published an initial report on the affair in November 2026, which Huang had called "groundless speculation", but the CEO was then called to Congress to give a closed-door briefing about the incident.
“Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC’s access to sensitive U.S. technology and information,” said Michigan Rep. John Moolenaar, who is also chairman of the House Select Committee on China.
“It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which US national security has been placed at risk."
Nvidia's board has issued a statement saying it would now begin "an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort."
"The Board prioritises US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of Nvidia and its shareholders," it added.
"While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the Board's inquiry will examine all available information.
"Jensen fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it."
In his statement, Huang, who said he was "fully committed" to Nvidia, confessed, "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he said in a letter to staff.
"Throughout my life, my family has given me love and support. They deserve my honesty and loyalty. Instead, I let them down and damaged the life we built together. I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it.
"To my wife and family: I love you. I know an apology cannot undo what I have done. I hope our family will heal and that, over time, I can earn back your trust."
Analysis: What next for Nvidia and Jensen?
The question now is what happens to Huang - one of the most visible and central figures of the current AI boom.
Nvidia has been transformed from a gaming graphics card provider into one of the world's most important companies in recent years, with Huang's dynamic leadership helping power much of that.
This prominence has led him to become a central figure in world debates on technology, with Huang celebrated by President Trump (who has already come out in support of Huang, calling him "a fine person") on several occasions.
We have seen leaders and CEOs lose their jobs for far less than this in recent years, so will Nvidia's board be prepared to do the unthinkable and remove the leader which made the company what it is?
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