Nvidia Opens Independent Probe Into CEO Jensen Huang After Affair Admission and Spy Allegations

Nvidia said on Sunday, 8 November 2026, that its board is opening an independent investigation into whether founder and chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, after reports that he had a relationship with a Chinese executive US officials say was working for Beijing. Huang admitted in a message to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologised, while the company said he will remain chief executive and is committed to continuing to lead without interruption.

What the board announced

The company's board said it is initiating an independent investigation "in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort." A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation. The board added that it prioritises US national and economic security, and that while it has "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board's inquiry will examine all available information." The announcement gave no timetable for completing the inquiry. Nvidia said Huang supports the investigation and has committed to cooperating.

Huang's admission to employees

In a message to company employees released on Sunday, Huang acknowledged having an affair and apologised to both his family and company staff. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he wrote, taking full responsibility for his actions. Two days earlier, Nvidia's communications team had rejected any notion that Huang had provided any critical information to a Chinese spy. An affair admission does not establish that Huang knowingly assisted an intelligence operation or disclosed sensitive information.

The reports behind the probe

Late last month, The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials had concluded that the woman, a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data centre company called Megaspeed, had been funnelling information to Beijing. The executive, Alice Huang — also known as Huang Le, and no relation to the 63-year-old Taiwanese-born Jensen Huang — developed a close relationship with the Nvidia boss, the Times said. Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia, was under scrutiny for possibly steering Nvidia AI chips to China — chips that are barred from shipment to China. The Times also reported that President Donald Trump was briefed about the intelligence findings roughly a year ago and chose not to do anything with the information. The Chinese government has dismissed the Times report, and Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs issued a clarification on 31 October denying that Singapore officials had expressed the reported concerns about Alice Huang or conducted such investigations into her.

Congress wants a briefing

Three Republican House committee chairs have already requested a joint briefing on Huang's interactions with Alice Huang and Nvidia's protections against foreign espionage. Brian Mast, John Moolenaar and Rick Crawford, who lead the Foreign Affairs, China Select and Intelligence committees respectively, proposed 18 November for the briefing. Their letter, dated Wednesday, says Congress is seeking to learn more about "Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage" and Huang's reported interactions with the Megaspeed executive. Trump said on 8 November that he had not spoken to Huang about the allegations, but called him a fine person.

Shares fall as the story spreads

Nvidia shares fell more than 4% in premarket trading on Monday and were down about 3% in after-hours and perpetual futures trade, as investors weighed the probe alongside the wider AI selloff. The allegations and the reported board investigation have not been independently verified. What is established is that the board of the world's most valuable chipmaker is now formally examining whether its chief executive was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation — a question with implications for US national security, for Nvidia's shareholders, and for the AI industry's most closely watched leader.

Sources

• Reuters — Nvidia launches probe after report CEO Huang was target of foreign intelligence
• The Straits Times — Nvidia opens probe into Jensen Huang report
• The Hindu BusinessLine — Nvidia board launches probe into alleged spy plot after CEO admits affair