Nvidia Boss Jensen Huang Admits Affair as Board Opens Probe
Nvidia's board has opened an independent investigation after CEO Jensen Huang admitted infidelity in a staff email. Reports link him to an alleged Chinese spy. The board says it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.
Nvidia's board launched an independent investigation on Sunday, US time, into chief executive Jensen Huang's relationship with an alleged Chinese spy, as the Nvidia boss Jensen Huang admitted infidelity in an email to staff.
The board said it acted "in light of recent reporting that founder and chief executive Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort". A committee of independent directors will oversee the probe, assisted by outside independent counsel.
What the board said
The board says it "prioritises US national and economic security", which it called paramount to Nvidia and its shareholders. It added that it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. The inquiry will still examine all available information.
Nvidia said the board has full confidence in Huang and his leadership team. Huang supports the review and has committed to co-operating, the statement said.
Huang's apology
In the email to employees, Huang wrote: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did." He said he takes full responsibility and that the board, partners and shareholders "deserve better from me".
He also addressed the security concerns. "I love our country and our company," he wrote, adding that he is committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security.
John Rizzo, Nvidia's head of public policy communications, said in a statement that the news "will not slow NVIDIA". Huang will keep leading the company as CEO without interruption, he said.
The alleged spy and Megaspeed
Alice Huang is a Chinese citizen and an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company. Megaspeed is an Nvidia customer and provides cloud computing services to Chinese companies such as Alibaba.
Late last month, press reports said US intelligence agencies had concluded she was funnelling information to Beijing. Surveillance had also detected her close relationship with Huang, according to those reports.
The same reports said US officials briefed President Donald Trump about a year ago, and that he "chose not to do anything with the information". On Sunday, further reports said Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw a highly classified memo this year on Huang's links to Alice Huang. The memo reportedly said China's Ministry of State Security had recruited her to collect intelligence on the Nvidia chief.
In October, Nvidia said it had previously investigated and debunked claims that Megaspeed was smuggling chips to China. Rizzo said at the time that "Jensen's interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected", and that meeting customers is part of a CEO's job.
Political fallout in Washington
The revelations have alarmed politicians on Capitol Hill. Three Republican committee chairs wrote to Huang last week.
Trump has championed Nvidia and Huang as leaders of America's artificial intelligence industry. Huang advises the president on AI through the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology and is a frequent White House guest.
In September he attended a state dinner with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In May, he boarded Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, to join Trump's delegation on a state visit to Beijing.
