Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Resigns Amid Espionage Scandal
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned following revelations of extramarital affairs and allegations that he was targeted by a Chinese intelligence asset to facilitate illegal chip exports.
Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang resigned effective November 12, 2026, following a board investigation into multiple extramarital affairs and potential national security breaches. The scandal centers on Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at the Singapore-based firm Megaspeed International, whom U.S. intelligence officials identify as a Chinese spy. Reports allege Alice Huang used the relationship to influence U.S. AI policy and facilitate the illegal diversion of approximately $7.5 billion in restricted Nvidia chips to China.
Further complications emerged when reports revealed a second affair between Huang and Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, a direct subordinate. This violation of corporate conduct rules, combined with the espionage risks, led the board to oust Huang. The company appointed CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO and named Harvey C. Jones as its first-ever board chairman. The leadership crisis erased over $1 trillion in market value, causing Nvidia to lose its status as the world's most valuable company.
U.S. lawmakers and the Department of Justice have launched probes into the diversion of chips via Megaspeed and the Trump administration's handling of the risk. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces accusations of stalling blacklists against Megaspeed despite intelligence warnings. While President Donald Trump defended Huang as an "honorable guy," he later suggested Apple's Tim Cook as a potential successor. Huang has agreed to testify before Congress in December regarding the security breaches.
