Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid affair and espionage allegations

Jensen Huang has stepped down as chief executive of Nvidia following reports of extramarital affairs, including one with an alleged Chinese spy.

The board of directors issued a statement praising Huang’s “profound” contribution to the company he co‑founded in 1993, but did not mention the personal conduct issues. Colette Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed.

Earlier this week the board engaged law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an independent investigation into Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a Singapore‑based data‑centre executive suspected of links to Chinese intelligence. The firm had directed Huang to remain in his role during the probe.

Subsequent reporting by the New York Times alleged a separate affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s president of healthcare, who was reportedly seen being affectionate with Huang at a hotel during a March conference.

Huang, who owns more than 870 million shares (about 3.6 % of Nvidia) and is valued at roughly $145 billion, confirmed the affair in an email to staff and said he would cooperate with the internal investigation. Nvidia’s shares fell about 7 % in pre‑market trading after the Wall Street Journal reported the board’s readiness to remove him, and the stock has dropped over 11 % in recent days.

Impact on AI sector

Nvidia, with a market capitalisation exceeding $4 trillion, supplies advanced chips that power AI models for firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic, making the leadership change significant for the broader artificial‑intelligence ecosystem.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Michael / Pexels.