Nvidia Board Probes CEO Jensen Huang Over Chinese Spy Affair
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an affair with a suspected Chinese intelligence asset, triggering an independent board investigation and congressional scrutiny over national security risks.
The board of Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into CEO Jensen Huang after he admitted to an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a senior executive at the Singapore-based firm Megaspeed. U.S. intelligence agencies identify Alice Huang as an asset for China's Ministry of State Security who allegedly targeted the CEO to gather intelligence and influence U.S. AI chip export policies. In a memo to employees on November 8, 2026, Jensen Huang apologized for being unfaithful to his wife and pledged full cooperation with the probe.
Congressional leaders from three House committees have requested a closed-door briefing with Huang on November 18 to assess potential national security breaches. The scrutiny follows reports that President Donald Trump was briefed on the relationship over a year ago via a classified memo overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but took no action. Despite the allegations, Donald Trump has publicly defended Huang as an honorable guy and a fine person, suggesting he should remain CEO.
Parallel investigations are targeting Megaspeed and its affiliates for allegedly smuggling restricted AI chips into China. While the Nvidia board maintains there is currently no evidence that company secrets or national security were compromised, the scandal caused Nvidia shares to drop between 5% and 8% in early trading, erasing up to $250 billion in market value. The Government of China has dismissed the espionage claims as unsubstantiated smears.
