Home · World · Nov 9 archive

Why is Nvidia’s Jensen Huang at the centre of a US-China spy scandal?

8:22 AM ETConfirmedShare via:          

World Desk

In Short: Nvidia chief Jensen Huang admitted to an affair with a woman US officials claim was working for Chinese intelligence, prompting an internal investigation.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gestikuliert.

Nvidia opens probe into Jensen Huang's relationship to alleged Chinese spy. USA TODAY

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged an affair with a woman whom US officials suspect of working for Chinese intelligence, leading the company's board to launch an independent probe.

In a statement, Nvidia said it had initiated the investigation 'in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.'

Huang admitted to the affair in a memo to employees, stating, 'I was unfaithful to my wife.' The company's board has no reason to believe that any confidential or strategically sensitive information was compromised.

The affair involves Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese tech executive who reportedly developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang.

US intelligence officials believe that Alice Huang was passing information to Beijing, raising concerns about potential espionage activities.

The scandal has sent Nvidia's shares tumbling, with the company's stock falling more than 4 percent in premarket trading on Monday.

George Chen, partner and chair of digital practice at The Asia Group, cautioned that it would be premature to conclude that Jensen Huang poses a threat to US national security before the facts are fully established.

Nvidia's announcement of a $12.9 billion deal to buy AI developer platform Hugging Face may face increased scrutiny in light of the ongoing investigation.

The affair and subsequent investigation have plunged Nvidia into a crisis unprecedented in its three-decade history, with the company now facing significant challenges in both the tech and political spheres.

What this adds

What's confirmed

• Nvidia said in a statement it had opened an independent probe "in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort."
• Huang told employees, "I was unfaithful to my wife," as the board said it has no reason to believe NVIDIA secrets were compromised and Congress seeks a closed-door briefing on November 18th.

What's still developing

• Trump was briefed on the intelligence findings about Huang's relationship with the businesswoman roughly a year ago and chose not to act on the information, the Times report said.
• "I don't know but I'll certainly take him."
• Huang said that the two nations—the United States and China—share the same goals: they want to be successful, and they want to be rich.
• The New York Times reported in ​October that Donald Trump had been briefed last year on intelligence that Huang ‌had a close relationship ‌with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to ‌Beijing.
• Jensen Huang just bypassed every earnings call caveat and posted two words on X that the AI industry has been arguing over for years.
• Huang, then known as Lori Mills, first met Jensen Huang as his lab partner in an electrical engineering class in college, according to his biography on the OSU College of Engineering website.
• Published 28 Sept 2026, 23:43 UTC Updated 29 Sept 2026, 03:07 UTC Technology and Science · 28 September, 2026 · 2 min read Nvidia launched Open Agent Safety Platform combining OpenShell and Sentry to contain AI agents.

Sources

• Reuterslink
• AFPlink
• Al Jazeeralink
• BBClink
• Gulf Newslink
• Malay Maillink
• Mothershiplink
• Newsweeklink
• The Business Timeslink
• The Economic Timeslink
• The Guardianlink
• The Indian Expresslink
• TechCrunchlink
• Mlqlink
• Runtimewirelink
• 247Wallstlink
• USA TODAY — video link
• Bloomberg Television — video link
• LiveNOW from FOX — video link
• NEWS9 Live — video link
• Nurainshorts — video link
• Forbes Breaking News — video link