Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Resigns as CEO After Affair Reports and Spy Concerns

Jensen Huang resigned as CEO of Nvidia on Nov. 12, the company announced, following reports that he had multiple extramarital affairs, including one with a woman U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe is a Chinese spy. ABC News said both federal authorities and Nvidia’s board are investigating the allegations.

Huang, 63, co-founded the chip company in 1993. He had also become a close ally and adviser to President Donald Trump on artificial intelligence, ABC News reported.

How the story unfolded

ABC News pieced together the following timeline of events and reports:

June 7, 2024: The first known photo of Huang and Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman who is not related to him, shows them seated together at Computex Taipei.
Jan. 31, 2025: Trump meets Huang for the first time at the White House.
May 22, 2025: Taiwanese outlet TVBS captures video of the two leaving a restaurant together in Taipei.
Fall 2025: Trump is briefed on U.S. intelligence that Huang is having an affair with a woman believed to work for Chinese intelligence, according to a U.S. official and other sources. The president took no action at the time, they said.
Dec. 8, 2025: Trump announces a policy change allowing Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China in exchange for a 25% cut of the sales for the U.S.
March 25, 2026: Trump names Huang to the newly created President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Spring 2026: A classified memo warns senior administration officials about Huang’s close relationship with the woman, sources told ABC News.
May 12, 2026: Secretary of State Marco Rubio shares intelligence with Trump aboard Air Force One, in what sources described as the second known warning to the president.
Oct. 29, 2026: The New York Times reports that Huang and Alice Huang, an executive at Singaporean tech company Megaspeed, had a close relationship.
Oct. 31, 2026: The Wall Street Journal reports that intelligence officials in the U.S., Singapore and Taiwan had reason to suspect Alice Huang might be a Chinese spy.
Nov. 8, 2026: Huang tells colleagues in a memo, “I was unfaithful to my wife,” and apologizes to staff, the board, partners and shareholders. Nvidia’s board announces an independent investigation.
Nov. 9, 2026: China’s Foreign Ministry calls the spy claim “completely groundless.” Trump tells reporters Huang said he had no idea the woman was a spy.
Nov. 10, 2026: Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tells ABC News he is prepared to subpoena Huang if he does not respond to a request for a closed-door briefing.
Nov. 11, 2026: The Times reports that Huang allegedly had a second affair, with an Nvidia executive who reports to him. The Journal reports the board plans to oust him.
Nov. 12, 2026: Nvidia announces Huang has resigned as CEO.

What it means for the investigations and for Nvidia

Two inquiries are now running side by side. Federal authorities are examining the allegations, according to ABC News, and Nvidia’s board launched its own independent investigation into whether Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort.

The board said it has no reason to believe either national security or company secrets were compromised, but said its inquiry will look at all available information. Chinese officials have rejected the spy allegation outright.

The story also touches U.S.–China policy. Huang traveled with Trump on a state visit to China this year, and ABC News reported that Trump had been briefed twice over the past year on the reported relationship. Trump has publicly said Huang told him he did not know the woman was a spy.

What happens next

Mast’s warning of a subpoena means Huang could face questions from House Republicans if he declines a voluntary briefing. The board’s investigation is also continuing.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News

Cover photo: Anderseidesvik / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Share: Telegram WhatsApp