By Elena Vasquez

Nvidia’s board opened an independent investigation on November 8 into whether CEO Jensen Huang was the “target of a foreign intelligence effort.” He admitted to an affair the same day with a woman whom US intelligence officials believe China recruited to gather information about Nvidia.

The inquiry poses a leadership test for the $4.5 trillion AI chipmaker. The board has said it retains confidence in Huang, the company’s cofounder, but the affair has raised questions about whether he will remain CEO.

What did the intelligence reporting establish?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the drafting of a “highly classified” memo in spring warning about Huang’s relationship, the New York Times reported. The memo drew on electronic surveillance of Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, and top Trump administration officials received it.

Questions about the relationship surfaced publicly in October. On October 29, the Times reported that US officials had concluded that Alice Huang was “a Chinese intelligence asset” who “had developed a close relationship” with Jensen Huang. The report included photographs of the pair at a June 2024 party, posted on LinkedIn.

The Times also described Alice Huang waiting behind Nvidia’s chief executive as he spoke to reporters after leaving a restaurant in Taipei in May 2025. It reported that US intelligence officials believe she, an executive at Nvidia customer Megaspeed, was recruited to gather information about Nvidia’s operations for the Chinese government.

Nvidia spokesperson John Rizzo told the Times that “Jensen’s interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected.” He said meetings with customers were part of a CEO’s job and that “Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year.”

Huang echoed that position to Bloomberg News on October 29: “Our relationship, our interactions, have been related to Megaspeed, and it was all completely normal and not unusual.” He also told Bloomberg that the US government had not told him about its concerns.

That confirmed the Times account that Huang had received no “defensive briefings,” the term for formal warnings sometimes given to business leaders.

How did Huang join Trump’s May China trip?

News organizations questioned Huang’s absence from the initial list of top executives accompanying President Donald Trump on his May visit to China, given his participation in similar trips. He joined in what appeared to be a last-minute decision when Air Force One refueled in Alaska.

Trump then posted on Truth Social on May 12 that “Jensen is currently on Air Force One.” He added: “Unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely, CNBC’s reporting is incorrect or, as they say in politics, FAKE NEWS!”

Huang’s name was also absent from a White House delegation list sent to Business Insider at the time. He later told reporters that Trump “asked me to come,” CNBC reported.

What will Congress ask Huang?

On November 4, three House Republican committee chairs sent Huang a letter requesting a joint, closed-door meeting about his interactions with Alice Huang. They sought a November 18 appearance and described her as a publicly reported People’s Republic of China intelligence asset.

The letter said: “Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC’s access to sensitive U.S. technology and information.” It called PRC infiltration “core to the investigative work of our three committees this Congress.” The lawmakers said Congress needed to determine “the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk.”

Why did Huang disclose the affair?

On November 8, Huang told employees in an internal memo that he had been “unfaithful” to his wife of more than 40 years and that his actions “hurt her and our children.”

He wrote: “I owe my family and all of you an apology. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”

That same day, Nvidia’s board said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, would oversee the inquiry and examine all available information. The board had “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised.”

Huang said he supported the investigation and “will cooperate fully.”

Who has defended Huang, and who has rejected the allegations?

Trump, speaking to reporters later on Sunday, called Huang an “honorable guy” and said: “I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it.” The president also said Huang should remain Nvidia’s CEO because “He’s done an amazing job for our country.”

Beijing rejected the allegations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters on Monday: “The ‘Chinese spy’ allegation is purely unsubstantiated and directed at smearing China.”

Which public engagements has Huang dropped?

After the scandal, Huang dropped off an Anthropic-hosted private CEO forum scheduled for Monday in Montecito, California, two people familiar with the event said. An Anthropic executive was set to interview him.

He also will not speak at the ElevenLabs Summit in New York later that week, a company spokesperson confirmed. His scheduled session was a fireside chat with ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski.

Nvidia has backed Huang for now; the investigation, a possible November 18 congressional appearance and Beijing’s denial leave his leadership question unresolved.