Jensen Huang tells Nvidia staff he was unfaithful to his wife as the board orders an inquiry into whether he was targeted by foreign spies
Nvidia's board has ordered an independent investigation into whether chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, hours after Huang told employees he had been unfaithful to his wife. The board says it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia's secrets were compromised and still backs Huang, who has been asked to brief Congress on 18 November about his dealings with Alice Huang, a businesswoman US officials reportedly believe was recruited by China's spy agency.
Live updates
- 6.30am AWST, 9 NovLatest
Nvidia's board orders an independent investigation, run by independent directors with outside counsel, into whether Jensen Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. It says it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised and still backs Huang.
- 6.30am AWST, 9 Nov
Huang tells employees in a memo that he was unfaithful to his wife and that there is no excuse for what he did.
This page checks for new updates automatically.
Three things to know
- A committee of Nvidia's independent directors, helped by outside lawyers, will run the inquiry; the board has set no end date and has not changed the company's leadership.
- In a memo to staff, Huang wrote that he was unfaithful to his wife and that "there is no excuse for what I did", and said he had fallen short of his responsibility to the company.
- The claims about Alice Huang come from unnamed US officials, the intelligence has not been released, no one has been charged, and the two are not related.
Nvidia’s board has launched an independent investigation into whether its founder and chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort, after Huang admitted to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife.
The board announced the inquiry in a statement on Sunday, US time. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee it. The board said US national and economic security was paramount to Nvidia and its shareholders.
It said it had “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised”, but that its inquiry would examine all available information. Huang fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating, the board said, adding that it has confidence in him and his leadership team. Nvidia said Huang remains committed to leading the company without interruption.
What did Huang tell his staff?
In a memo to employees, Huang wrote: “I was unfaithful to my wife.” He said his actions had hurt her and their children, and that “there is no excuse for what I did”.
He apologised to his family, said he hoped to earn back their trust over time, and told colleagues, the board, partners and shareholders that he had fallen short of his responsibility to them. He has maintained that the relationship was personal and that no proprietary technology, trade secrets or national security material was shared.
What is the board investigating?
The inquiry follows reports, citing an intelligence assessment circulated among senior Trump administration officials, that China’s Ministry of State Security recruited Alice Huang, an executive at the Singapore cloud company Megaspeed, to gather information on Jensen Huang and possibly influence his views on US limits on chip exports to China. The same reports said US officials believe the two had a romantic relationship.
Those claims come from unnamed officials. The intelligence has not been made public, no one has been charged, and nothing released so far shows Jensen Huang knowingly passed on sensitive information. Alice Huang has not commented publicly. China’s Foreign Ministry has previously dismissed the reports as baseless. Alice Huang and Jensen Huang are not related.
Before the memo, Huang had described his contact with Alice Huang as business dealings that were “completely normal and not unusual”. Nvidia has said customers receive no information relevant to national security.
What is Megaspeed?
Megaspeed is a Singapore-based cloud computing company that buys Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips. It has faced US scrutiny over suspicions that it helped customers in China obtain advanced chips that cannot legally be shipped there. Those suspicions have not led to any finding of wrongdoing.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said on 31 October that its authorities had never investigated Alice Huang over alleged links to Chinese intelligence, but confirmed separate investigations into Megaspeed are continuing. Megaspeed has said its management has hired outside lawyers to look into the claims.
What does Congress want?
On 5 November three Republican committee chairs in the House of Representatives, Brian Mast of Foreign Affairs, John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and Rick Crawford of Intelligence, asked Huang to a closed-door briefing on 18 November. They want an answer by 11 November. Moolenaar said the reports raised “significant national security concerns”.
Why does it matter?
Nvidia was worth nearly US$4.5 trillion at Friday’s close, the world’s second-largest listed company, and its chips sit at the centre of the AI boom and the technology contest between Washington and Beijing. The US restricts sales of its most advanced chips to China, and Huang has lobbied the Trump administration to allow more of them to be sold there.
The board’s choice of an inquiry over a leadership change signals it wants the facts before deciding anything about Huang’s future. For Australian investors, Nvidia is one of the largest companies in the global share indices many super funds track, so the first trading session after the memo will be closely watched.
VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.
How we got here
The key moments that brought this story into focus. Open any moment for detail.
29 October 2026Intelligence concerns reported
Reports citing people briefed on US surveillance say agencies watched Alice Huang, linked to Megaspeed, as a possible Chinese intelligence asset close to Jensen Huang; Nvidia denies wrongdoing.
31 October 2026Singapore responds
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs says it never investigated Alice Huang but confirms investigations into Megaspeed are continuing.
5 November 2026Congress steps in
Three House committee chairs ask Jensen Huang to a closed-door briefing on 18 November.
6 November 2026New claims
Unnamed US officials are reported as believing Alice Huang was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security and had a romantic relationship with Jensen Huang.
8 November 2026Memo and inquiry
Huang tells staff he was unfaithful to his wife; Nvidia's board orders an independent investigation.
What happens next
Huang has until 11 November to accept the 18 November briefing or propose another date. Nvidia is due to report its quarterly results on 17 November, the day before. The board has set no deadline for its inquiry and says it will give updates as appropriate. Singapore's investigation into Megaspeed is continuing, and Democrats take control of the House committees in January.
Sources
- VNN
VNN never names people who give us information in confidence. How we protect sources and tips.
That is the story in a minute. For the evidence, context and what happens next, switch to the full story.
Comments
0 commentsCommunity rules
To read and join the conversation, please agree to our rules.
You have agreed to the community rules.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.