Nvidia stock fell as much as 9% on Monday before closing about 4% lower at $178.67, and Chinese social media users immediately began tallying who lost the most in the fallout of CEO Jensen Huang's affair.

Business Insider calculated that the intraday slide briefly erased roughly $13 billion from the value of Huang's Nvidia holdings, leaving them worth around $138 billion on Monday morning. Several hashtags about Huang trended on Weibo, China's version of X, as users debated both the personal and financial costs of the scandal.

How much could a divorce cost Huang?

Under the hashtag "How much could Jensen Huang's wife get in a divorce?", some Weibo users tried to calculate what a split could mean for Huang's multibillion-dollar fortune.

"With this move, Jensen Huang has truly maxed out the 'sky-high divorce settlement,'" one user from Shandong wrote.

That user said Lori Huang could theoretically receive half of her husband's fortune, citing California's community property laws, which generally divide assets and debts accrued during a marriage equally. The user added that reality would likely be far more complicated, given how much of Huang's wealth sits in Nvidia shares and other complex assets.

A user from Zhejiang pointed to a loss no settlement could price.

"Money can be divided. The share price can rebound. The board still supports him. But when someone gives you the most awkward, poorest, and most hopeful years of their youth, and you trade that for a polished apology letter, that is a debt the law cannot calculate," the user wrote.

What did investors lose?

Other Weibo users turned to the investors and Silicon Valley power players caught in Nvidia's slide, using hashtags such as "Which Silicon Valley tycoons did Jensen Huang's 'love brain' hurt?" and "Jensen Huang sets a record for the biggest losses caused by an executive's personal scandal."

A user from Guangxi argued that even the most advanced technology cannot insulate the AI industry from the personal risks of those who run it.

"When personal matters become entangled with clients, chip compliance, and security investigations, they cease to be merely a family dispute," the user wrote.

A user from Jiangsi framed Huang's personal life as a reminder of how sensitive capital markets are to ethical risk from corporate leaders.

"The scale of the losses is also a warning to the industry: Founders and executives of leading technology companies no longer represent only themselves. Their words and actions can affect hundreds of billions of dollars in market value," the user wrote. "A private controversy can ultimately leave the whole company and countless investors to bear the cost."

A user from Sichuan said some investors bought not just Nvidia's business but Huang's carefully cultivated reputation.

"Business leaders' 'devoted-husband image' can feel like a kind of trust guarantee. This time, after Huang said he was unfaithful, Nvidia's stock plunged. The ones ultimately paying for his lovestruck behavior are still retail investors," the user wrote.

What is the true price of the scandal?

Across hashtags including "How high is the cost of Jensen Huang's infidelity?", Weibo users argued that money and power bring their own temptations.

A user from Jiangsu said the hardest part of success may be holding onto the values that built it.

"Success is difficult, but holding the line is harder. A moment of indulgence can destroy the reputation and stability built over decades," the user wrote.

A second user from Zhejiang said that at Huang's level, a private misstep carries consequences beyond what most people imagine.

"The truly costly price is never just money. It is the trust and hard-won reputation that have been spent down," the user wrote.

What triggered the firestorm?

The Weibo reactions followed a turbulent stretch for Huang and Nvidia. The CEO said in a memo to staffers on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to Lori Huang, his wife of more than 40 years and the mother of his two children.

His statement came as Nvidia's board launched an independent investigation into whether Huang was the "target of a foreign intelligence effort." Huang did not name the person involved, but attention has centered on Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer. The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials believe she was passing information to Beijing.

For many on Weibo, the lasting cost is a commodity no buyback can restore: trust.