Nvidia Investigates CEO Jensen Huang After He Confirms Relationship With Woman Accused of Spying for China
Nvidia said on Sunday, November 8, that it is investigating its chief executive, Jensen Huang, after he confirmed an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence. Huang will continue to lead the company while the inquiry is under way, Al Jazeera reported.
The board will not conduct the review itself. Instead, a committee of independent directors, meaning board members who have no management role at the company, will carry it out with the help of outside lawyers. The board said the inquiry will examine all available information. It also said it has no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia's trade secrets were compromised, and that it continues to have confidence in Huang and his leadership team.
Huang disclosed the relationship in communications to staff. In a memo to employees, he said he had been intimate with the woman accused of spying for China. In an email to staff, he admitted to an extramarital relationship, saying he had been unfaithful to his wife.
The woman is Alice Huang, who is also known as Huang Le. The New York Times reported that China's top spy agency recruited her to collect intelligence on Jensen Huang. The newspaper also reported in October that she sought to build close ties with him in order to obtain information about Nvidia's technology. Her employer, a company called Megaspeed, bought about $4.8 billion in equipment from Nvidia, making it one of the chipmaker's largest buyers, the Times reported.
Huang had earlier addressed his dealings with the firm. He said they were "normal," according to Reuters, which cited Bloomberg News. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC has denied the spying allegations.
Congress has also taken up the matter. Reuters reported on November 5 that key Republicans had sought a briefing from Huang over the Chinese spy allegations. Republican lawmakers John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford have since called on Huang to testify before Congress about the affair on November 18, Al Jazeera reported.
