Nvidia opens probe into CEO Jensen Huang after affair admission amid spy claims
Photo: Fast CompanyNvidia's board said Sunday it is opening an independent investigation into reports that chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort — hours after Huang admitted to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife.
A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will oversee the inquiry, the company said in a statement Sunday. "The Board prioritizes US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders," the statement said. The board said it has "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised," but that its inquiry "will examine all available information."
Huang, 63, wrote in a note to Nvidia staff on Sunday: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did." He did not name the other person in the affair. "I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it," he added, saying he supports the investigation and is committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security.
Nvidia said Huang will continue as chief executive while the inquiry proceeds and that he is fully cooperating. "Today's news will not slow NVIDIA. Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption," a company spokesperson said.
The reports at the center of the probe concern Alice Huang — no relation to the chief executive — a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International, a major buyer of Nvidia chips. The New York Times reported on Oct. 29 that U.S. intelligence agencies had determined she was a Chinese intelligence asset, and the Financial Times later reported that U.S. officials believed the two were in a romantic relationship. Megaspeed has been accused of breaking U.S. export restrictions and smuggling Nvidia chips to China.
Nvidia has previously said Huang's meetings with Alice Huang were "not unusual or unexpected" given their business ties, and that concerns about illegal chip diversion were "debunked last year."
The scrutiny has already reached Congress. On Thursday, the Republican chairmen of three influential House panels — the committees on Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Communist Party and Intelligence — said they sent a letter to Huang requesting his appearance before their committees to answer questions about his relationship with Megaspeed and the company's security protocols against foreign espionage. "Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC's access to sensitive US technology and information," the chairmen wrote. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Sunday on X: "Congressional oversight investigation needed."
The stakes go well beyond one executive. Nvidia, which Huang co-founded in 1993, has a market capitalization of more than $4 trillion and is the world's second-largest company and a poster child for the artificial intelligence boom, at a time when the United States and China are racing for technological supremacy. Analyst Dan Ives called the news "a black eye moment for Jensen" that will increase scrutiny of chip sales to China and could cast a shadow over Nvidia's share price as investors question whether Huang will remain at the helm.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he has not spoken to Huang since Nvidia announced the investigation, but called him a "fine person" and praised his contribution to the country. The Chinese Embassy in Washington has rejected the espionage allegations. The board gave no timetable for completing its inquiry.
Sources: CNN, "Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits affair as company launches investigation into foreign spy claims" (Nov. 8, 2026); The Wall Street Journal, "Nvidia's Board Investigates Reports That CEO Was Spying Target After Affair" (Nov. 8, 2026); Bloomberg via The Hindu BusinessLine, "Jensen Huang admits affair; Nvidia Board orders probe into espionage claims" (Nov. 8, 2026).
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