Jensen Huang Quits Nvidia With Questions Left to Answer
Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO on Friday amid an alleged espionage plot and reports of affairs. Three House committees want closed-door interviews on December 1 and 2, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces calls to testify.
Jensen Huang resigned as chief executive of Nvidia on Friday, November 13, leaving Congress and the White House with questions left to answer in the wake of an alleged espionage plot and reports of extramarital affairs.
His exit ends a long reign at the chipmaker. It does not end the scrutiny.
Congress sets dates
The chairs of three House committees wrote to Huang and Nvidia general counsel Tim Teter. The panels cover foreign affairs, the China select committee and intelligence. The letter requires both men to appear for closed-door transcribed interviews on December 1 and 2.
"There are clear national security concerns that need to be addressed immediately," the chairs wrote.
Huang and Teter have not publicly commented on the requests. They could face subpoenas to compel their appearances.
Senator Tim Scott repeated calls for Huang to front Congress after the resignation. He said there were "serious concerns" to address.
The allegations
The controversy centered on Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, whom US intelligence reportedly suspects to be a Chinese spy. Claims later emerged that he had two other extramarital affairs, both with Nvidia employees.
Huang has not commented on those later reports. His last statement came on Sunday, local time. In it he admitted to being "unfaithful" to his wife of over 40 years but did not name anyone.
He also said he was "committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security".
Separately, Nvidia and Huang face a proposed class action accusing them of defrauding shareholders.
Pressure on Commerce
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been called to testify in Congress over concerns that he did not do enough to restrict AI chip shipments to China. Under-Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler has been called to a December 3 hearing.
In December 2025, President Donald Trump allowed Nvidia to sell its advanced chips to China in exchange for a cut of the sales. Huang had argued that restrictions only accelerated Beijing's own AI development. Members of both parties in Congress had raised concerns about China's access to the technology.
Lutnick has also been criticized because the administration has refused to add dozens of Chinese companies to a trade blacklist. The US has not added to the list since October 2025, the longest stretch between new postings in more than a decade. The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Ties to the president
Huang had become a close ally of Trump and one of the few people known to have a direct line to him. He has visited the White House at least five times during Trump's second term. He is part of a council advising the president on science and technology.
He also accompanied Trump on a trip to Beijing in May. A mid-October report said Nvidia committed US$25 million for Trump's contentious White House ballroom project, and the president disclosed buying and selling Nvidia stock earlier this year.
What Trump knew about the alleged plot, and when, remains one of the open questions around the affair.
