By Sophie Lindqvist

Nvidia's board is reportedly preparing to remove founder and CEO Jensen Huang, after reports of two extramarital affairs — one with a woman allegedly tied to Chinese intelligence, another with a subordinate executive. The Wall Street Journal reported the board could meet as soon as Wednesday to decide the future of the man who built the world's most important AI chip company.

The stakes are difficult to overstate. Nvidia's components power the servers behind the AI boom, making it one of the most consequential chipmakers of the past decade. The board is now weighing governance risk at the very top of a company whose market position anchors a national technology strategy. What does this change for shareholders? Until the board acts, nothing formally — but succession risk at Nvidia is now a live variable in every model.

What triggered the crisis?

The chain of events began roughly two weeks ago, when The New York Times reported that Huang had "a close relationship" with an alleged Chinese government agent. The woman, identified as Alice Huang — no relation to the CEO — is a top executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data company.

Huang later admitted to Nvidia staff in an internal statement that he had been "unfaithful to my wife." On Wednesday, The Times added a second alleged relationship: an affair with an Nvidia executive who, notably, reports to him. Sources told the paper the two were captured on video being affectionate at a hotel during a March Nvidia conference. The Times said it had not seen the footage. ABC News states it could not verify the reporting or the video — a caveat worth holding onto, since much of this story rests on unnamed sources.

What is the board actually doing?

On Sunday, Nvidia said its board launched an independent investigation, framed pointedly: "in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort." Note the framing — Huang as target, not perpetrator.

The mechanics, per Nvidia's statement:

• A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation.
• Huang "fully supports the review" and will cooperate.
• The board has "no reason to believe" national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised — but will examine "all available information."
• The board "has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team."

Read carefully, the Sunday statement defends the CEO; the Wednesday report says the board is preparing to remove him. If the Journal's reporting is accurate, that gap between public support and private deliberation is itself the story. Nvidia has not responded to requests for comment on the latest report.

What has Huang said?

In the internal message shared with ABC News, Huang apologized without naming anyone. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," the message read.

He cast the issue as a breach of trust with the company's stakeholders. "My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility. I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence," Huang wrote.

He also addressed the national security dimension directly: "I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America's national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American." Patriotism is an unusual note for an internal apology; its presence suggests Nvidia is managing a political problem as much as a personal one.

Who else is involved?

Congress is moving in parallel. Republicans on the House Select Committee on China have asked Huang to appear for a closed-door briefing on November 18 regarding his relationship with Alice Huang. Representative Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Tuesday he is prepared to subpoena Huang if he does not respond by Wednesday to a request from several House Republicans.

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that he had spoken with Huang that day. "I asked him that question — 'Did you have any idea that she was a spy?' He said, 'I had no idea that she was a spy,' and I really believe him," Trump said.

The Chinese government denied the underlying allegations, calling them "baseless and purely slanderous smears against China." Neither Alice Huang nor Megaspeed International responded to requests for comment. An Nvidia spokesperson earlier described the interactions between the two Huangs as "not unusual or unexpected" and part of the CEO's job.

What remains unverified?

Plenty. The alleged hotel video has not been seen by the outlet that reported it. ABC News has not independently verified the affairs. The board's intention to oust Huang rests on the Journal's unnamed sourcing, and Nvidia's public statements still express confidence in him. A commitment to cooperate with an investigation is not the same as a favorable outcome from one — and for a company of Nvidia's weight, the gap between those two things is where the real risk sits.