Nvidia board prepares to oust CEO Jensen Huang over affairs

Summarised from 13 outlets · 22 reports · Updated 12 Nov, 00:09 · Archive

Nvidia's board is preparing to remove CEO Jensen Huang following revelations of two extramarital affairs, one involving an alleged Chinese spy.

Nvidia's board of directors is preparing to remove CEO Jensen Huang following a series of damaging revelations about his personal conduct. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the board was preparing to meet as soon as that day to decide his future at the $4.2 trillion chipmaking giant.

The turmoil began Sunday when Huang admitted to an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a woman U.S. intelligence officials believe was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security as a spy. Huang initially described their dealings as strictly professional before acknowledging the relationship in a statement to staff, writing that he had been 'unfaithful' to his wife and was 'deeply sorry'. President Donald Trump said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating the allegations. Trump had previously stated he was unaware of the relationship at the time of a state visit to China, though the New York Times reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Trump about it aboard Air Force One in May, shortly before Huang joined the trip.

A second affair emerged Wednesday when the New York Times reported that Huang had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of health care. Five people who worked at the company confirmed the relationship to the Times. Powell, 48, reports directly to Huang, 63, and both are married to other people.

According to multiple sources, Huang and Powell were captured on video being affectionate at a San Jose hotel during Nvidia's GTC developer conference in March. Independent World reported that Huang's security detail subsequently confronted the person who recorded the interaction and offered them a non-disclosure agreement.

Both affairs violate Nvidia's code of conduct, which explicitly directs employees to 'avoid situations where our actions create conflict' including 'personal relationships' and states the company 'promptly investigates reports of misconduct'.

The revelations have severely damaged Nvidia's share price. Sky News reported the stock hit a 52-week low, with CNBC reporting shares fell more than 9 per cent in after-hours trading Wednesday following the second affair report. The stock has fallen approximately 11 per cent over the past five days.

Nvidia's board had publicly backed Huang just days earlier while launching an independent investigation into the Alice Huang relationship. The company hired former federal prosecutor Joon H. Kim and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to lead that investigation.

The Trump administration is aware of the board's preparations to remove Huang, according to CBS News. Meanwhile, senior Republicans and Democrats have called for congressional investigations into Huang, who has become an influential voice in the president's circle on artificial intelligence policy and export controls.

How it is being reported

• Nvidia shares plunge amid reports board to discuss CEO Huang’s futureChip giants stock price falls more than 8 percent amid speculation over co-founder's future.Al Jazeera · 12 Nov, 00:43
• The honeypot plot against America: Secrets of X-rated playbook spies use to bed elite men revealed... as Nvidia affair scandal threatens economic catastropheOne can only imagine that 63-year-old Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, strutting around in his $9,000 Tom Ford leather jackets, has never thought he needed to peer into an ugly mirror.Daily Mail · 12 Nov, 00:07
• Nvidia board reportedly weighs ousting Huang amid alleged affairs with exec and suspected Chinese spyNvidia's board is reportedly preparing to oust Jensen Huang amid reports of an affair with a suspected Chinese spy. The shake-up would leave the world's leading AI chip supplier without the co-founder who built it.DW News · 12 Nov, 00:01
• Nvidia prepares to push out CEO Jensen Huang, reportsThe board at chipmaker Nvidia is reportedly preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang, according to US media reports. He has been accused of an affair with an alleged Chinese spy.DW News · 12 Nov, 00:01
• Nvidia preparing to fire CEO Jensen Huang after affair with suspected Chinese spy, sources sayNvidia's board is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang after Huang admitted to an affair with a suspected Chinese spy, sources tell CBS News. The company's stock tanked on Wednesday following the news. CBS News' Kelly O'Grady breaks it down.CBS News · 11 Nov, 23:55
• Nvidia's board preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang, sources sayThe board of Nvidia, the world's largest artificial intelligence chipmaker whose stock makes up a major portion of many retirement programs, is preparing to force out its CEO after his affair with a suspected Chinese spy, sources told CBS News. Kelly O'Grady reports on the latest for the $4 trillion company.CBS News · 11 Nov, 23:48
• From nursing school to Nvidia’s billionaire boss lover: The mysterious rise of alleged Chinese spy Alice Huang – as her past vanishesTraces of alleged spy Alice Huang’s past are vanishing from China’s internet — but a few details of her incredible rise from provincial town schoolgirl to Nvidia boss Jensen Huang’s alleged mistress have emerged. Huang, 49, was remembered as a tall, soft-spoken woman with polished English and a gift for working a room, by someone...New York Post · 11 Nov, 23:46
• Nvidia's board preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang, sources sayNvidia's board of directors is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang soon, according to two sources, amid allegations Huang had an affair with a person U.S. intelligence agencies believe was a Chinese asset.CBS News · 11 Nov, 23:29
• Nvidia’s stock drops as board reportedly preps to oust CEO Jensen HuangAs soon as Wednesday evening, Nvidia's board could decide to remove its founder and CEO of 33 years.TechCrunch · 11 Nov, 23:28
• Nvidia shares dive after report that board preparing to oust Jensen HuangNvidia shares fall sharply in after-hours trading after The Wall Street Journal reports the company's board plans to remove Jensen Huang as CEOCBS News · 11 Nov, 23:28
• Nvidia prepares to oust Jensen Huang, WSJ reports — stock sinksThe report comes days after Huang admitted to an affair with a woman who is believed by U.S. intelligence of being a Chinese spy.CNBC · 11 Nov, 23:28
• Nvidia preparing to oust Jensen Huang after affairs, WSJ saysThe board was preparing to meet as soon as Wednesday to decide Huang's fate.The Japan Times · 11 Nov, 23:24
• Jensen Huang accused of having another affair — with a Nvidia execJensen Huang, who has come under fire for admitting to an affair with a woman accused of being a Chinese intelligence agent, has been accused of having a separate affair with an Nvidia subordinate.TechCrunch · 11 Nov, 23:17
• CEO Jensen Huang's job is suddenly on the line at NvidiaThe FBI is investigating as Nvidia’s board holds urgent talks over Huang’s future.Ars Technica · 11 Nov, 23:10
• Nvidia board meets after revelations Huang had affair with top company executiveHead of US chip giant comes under mounting pressure days after claims he had affair with alleged Chinese spyFinancial Times · 11 Nov, 22:56
• Nvidia shares hit 52-week low amid claim CEO had second affairNvidia shares have fallen to a 52-week low - after US media outlets claimed that its CEO has had a second extramarital affair.Sky News · 11 Nov, 22:56
• Nvidia moves to oust spy-tainted CEO Jensen Huang after word of affair with subordinate: reportThe reported relationship with vice president of health care Kimberly Powell directly conflicts with company rulesIndependent World · 11 Nov, 22:53
• Nvidia is reportedly preparing to fire Jensen HuangNvidia's board is preparing to dismiss CEO Jensen Huang following a report from the New York Times about a second alleged extramarital affair, just days after he admitted to a separate affair with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy, The Wall Street Journal reports. The second alleged affair was with an executive who […]The Verge · 11 Nov, 22:44
• Nvidia preps to boot Jensen Huang in wake of alleged affairs, Chinese ‘spy’ scandalJensen Huang’s future as Nvidia’s chief executive is in jeopardy as the chipmaking giant’s board weighs removing its billionaire founder amid revelations of two extramarital affairs, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.New York Post · 11 Nov, 22:41
• Jensen Huang caught in another cheating scandal after Chinese spy debacle as Nvidia board looks to oust CEOFive people who worked at the chipmaker told The New York Times that Jensen Huang, 63, also had an extramarital affair with Kimberly Powell,, 48, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare.Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 22:39
• Nvidia’s Jensen Huang also had alleged affair with subordinate as new report details CEO’s dalliance in wake of Chinese spy scandalThat’s even though Nvidia’s code of conduct urges employees to “avoid situations where our actions create conflict” including “personal relationships,” according to the report.New York Post · 11 Nov, 22:25
• Nvidia scandal rocks White House as report reveals Trump was ‘warned’ about CEO’s affair months agoTrump has said he was unaware of the spy allegations at the time of his state visit to ChinaIndependent World · 11 Nov, 21:41

In this story: Jensen Huang · Alice Huang · Kimberly Powell · Nvidia · China's Ministry of State Security · Donald Trump · Marco Rubio

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log