\n<\/p>\n
This is<\/em> The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on Jensen Huang\u2019s resignation and the fallout from Nvidia\u2019s leadership crisis, follow Terrence O\u2019Brien<\/a>.<\/em> The Stepback arrives in our subscribers\u2019 inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for<\/em> The Stepback here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn October 29th, The New York Times<\/em> reported that Nvidia co-founder and showman<\/a> CEO Jensen Huang appeared to be the target<\/a> of a Chinese spy plot. Any major tech CEO potentially being compromised by the Chinese government is concerning \u2014 especially Jensen Huang. \u201cIf you could draw the network diagram of the entire US AI ecosystem, Nvidia would be at the center of that,\u201d Kyle Chan, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, previously told The Verge<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIf you could draw the diagram of the entire Nvidia ecosystem, a single man is standing at the heart of all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe Times<\/em> reported that Jensen Huang had developed a \u201cclose relationship<\/a>\u201d with Alice Huang (no relation), an executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed. Alice Huang had been on the American government\u2019s radar for some time, perhaps as early as 2024<\/a>. Her company was investigated by the US Commerce Department over suspicions it was illegally smuggling Nvidia\u2019s AI chips into China in violation of US government trade restrictions. Singapore authorities confiscated her passport<\/a> back in June of 2025, eventually barring her from the country, after she reportedly gave \u201cinaccurate information\u201d to police. And perhaps more concerningly, some US officials believed she was passing information, possibly about Nvidia\u2019s designs or the White House\u2019s deliberations over trade restrictions, directly back to Beijing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThis made her relationship with Jensen Huang concerning for multiple reasons. Nvidia\u2019s chips are considered crucial to America\u2019s AI superiority and a matter of national security by the White House. The government has restricted the sale of Nvidia\u2019s most advanced chips to China since the Biden administration. But Jensen Huang has routinely pushed to loosen those trade restrictions<\/a>. Meanwhile, he had gotten quite cozy with President Trump, once even putting him on speakerphone<\/a> on-stage at the All-In Summit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen last week, things escalated quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Friday, November 6th, the Times<\/em> reported that Alice Huang was specifically recruited by China\u2019s Ministry of State Security<\/a> to spy on Nvidia\u2019s CEO. Though, there is some disagreement<\/a> among US intelligence officials over the strength of evidence tying Alice Huang to Beijing. While the paper did not confirm it at the time, rumors suggested the \u201cclose relationship\u201d between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang was romantic in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Sunday, November 8th, Jensen Huang admitted<\/a> to having an extramarital affair, but did not name the Megaspeed exec and alleged Chinese spy specifically. Nvidia\u2019s board announced that it was launching an investigation<\/a> into its CEO shortly after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
On October 29th, The New York Times<\/em> reported that Nvidia co-founder and showman<\/a> CEO Jensen Huang appeared to be the target<\/a> of a Chinese spy plot. Any major tech CEO potentially being compromised by the Chinese government is concerning \u2014 especially Jensen Huang. \u201cIf you could draw the network diagram of the entire US AI ecosystem, Nvidia would be at the center of that,\u201d Kyle Chan, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, previously told The Verge<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIf you could draw the diagram of the entire Nvidia ecosystem, a single man is standing at the heart of all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe Times<\/em> reported that Jensen Huang had developed a \u201cclose relationship<\/a>\u201d with Alice Huang (no relation), an executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed. Alice Huang had been on the American government\u2019s radar for some time, perhaps as early as 2024<\/a>. Her company was investigated by the US Commerce Department over suspicions it was illegally smuggling Nvidia\u2019s AI chips into China in violation of US government trade restrictions. Singapore authorities confiscated her passport<\/a> back in June of 2025, eventually barring her from the country, after she reportedly gave \u201cinaccurate information\u201d to police. And perhaps more concerningly, some US officials believed she was passing information, possibly about Nvidia\u2019s designs or the White House\u2019s deliberations over trade restrictions, directly back to Beijing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThis made her relationship with Jensen Huang concerning for multiple reasons. Nvidia\u2019s chips are considered crucial to America\u2019s AI superiority and a matter of national security by the White House. The government has restricted the sale of Nvidia\u2019s most advanced chips to China since the Biden administration. But Jensen Huang has routinely pushed to loosen those trade restrictions<\/a>. Meanwhile, he had gotten quite cozy with President Trump, once even putting him on speakerphone<\/a> on-stage at the All-In Summit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen last week, things escalated quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Friday, November 6th, the Times<\/em> reported that Alice Huang was specifically recruited by China\u2019s Ministry of State Security<\/a> to spy on Nvidia\u2019s CEO. Though, there is some disagreement<\/a> among US intelligence officials over the strength of evidence tying Alice Huang to Beijing. While the paper did not confirm it at the time, rumors suggested the \u201cclose relationship\u201d between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang was romantic in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Sunday, November 8th, Jensen Huang admitted<\/a> to having an extramarital affair, but did not name the Megaspeed exec and alleged Chinese spy specifically. Nvidia\u2019s board announced that it was launching an investigation<\/a> into its CEO shortly after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
The Times<\/em> reported that Jensen Huang had developed a \u201cclose relationship<\/a>\u201d with Alice Huang (no relation), an executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed. Alice Huang had been on the American government\u2019s radar for some time, perhaps as early as 2024<\/a>. Her company was investigated by the US Commerce Department over suspicions it was illegally smuggling Nvidia\u2019s AI chips into China in violation of US government trade restrictions. Singapore authorities confiscated her passport<\/a> back in June of 2025, eventually barring her from the country, after she reportedly gave \u201cinaccurate information\u201d to police. And perhaps more concerningly, some US officials believed she was passing information, possibly about Nvidia\u2019s designs or the White House\u2019s deliberations over trade restrictions, directly back to Beijing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThis made her relationship with Jensen Huang concerning for multiple reasons. Nvidia\u2019s chips are considered crucial to America\u2019s AI superiority and a matter of national security by the White House. The government has restricted the sale of Nvidia\u2019s most advanced chips to China since the Biden administration. But Jensen Huang has routinely pushed to loosen those trade restrictions<\/a>. Meanwhile, he had gotten quite cozy with President Trump, once even putting him on speakerphone<\/a> on-stage at the All-In Summit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen last week, things escalated quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Friday, November 6th, the Times<\/em> reported that Alice Huang was specifically recruited by China\u2019s Ministry of State Security<\/a> to spy on Nvidia\u2019s CEO. Though, there is some disagreement<\/a> among US intelligence officials over the strength of evidence tying Alice Huang to Beijing. While the paper did not confirm it at the time, rumors suggested the \u201cclose relationship\u201d between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang was romantic in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Sunday, November 8th, Jensen Huang admitted<\/a> to having an extramarital affair, but did not name the Megaspeed exec and alleged Chinese spy specifically. Nvidia\u2019s board announced that it was launching an investigation<\/a> into its CEO shortly after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
This made her relationship with Jensen Huang concerning for multiple reasons. Nvidia\u2019s chips are considered crucial to America\u2019s AI superiority and a matter of national security by the White House. The government has restricted the sale of Nvidia\u2019s most advanced chips to China since the Biden administration. But Jensen Huang has routinely pushed to loosen those trade restrictions<\/a>. Meanwhile, he had gotten quite cozy with President Trump, once even putting him on speakerphone<\/a> on-stage at the All-In Summit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen last week, things escalated quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Friday, November 6th, the Times<\/em> reported that Alice Huang was specifically recruited by China\u2019s Ministry of State Security<\/a> to spy on Nvidia\u2019s CEO. Though, there is some disagreement<\/a> among US intelligence officials over the strength of evidence tying Alice Huang to Beijing. While the paper did not confirm it at the time, rumors suggested the \u201cclose relationship\u201d between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang was romantic in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Sunday, November 8th, Jensen Huang admitted<\/a> to having an extramarital affair, but did not name the Megaspeed exec and alleged Chinese spy specifically. Nvidia\u2019s board announced that it was launching an investigation<\/a> into its CEO shortly after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Then last week, things escalated quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On Friday, November 6th, the Times<\/em> reported that Alice Huang was specifically recruited by China\u2019s Ministry of State Security<\/a> to spy on Nvidia\u2019s CEO. Though, there is some disagreement<\/a> among US intelligence officials over the strength of evidence tying Alice Huang to Beijing. While the paper did not confirm it at the time, rumors suggested the \u201cclose relationship\u201d between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang was romantic in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Sunday, November 8th, Jensen Huang admitted<\/a> to having an extramarital affair, but did not name the Megaspeed exec and alleged Chinese spy specifically. Nvidia\u2019s board announced that it was launching an investigation<\/a> into its CEO shortly after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
On Sunday, November 8th, Jensen Huang admitted<\/a> to having an extramarital affair, but did not name the Megaspeed exec and alleged Chinese spy specifically. Nvidia\u2019s board announced that it was launching an investigation<\/a> into its CEO shortly after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Many believed<\/a> that Jensen Huang would survive<\/a> the scandal. His company\u2019s importance to America\u2019s booming AI industry and his crucial role at the company seemed to make him nearly untouchable. He was, after all, the only CEO the company had ever known with no clear and obvious succession plan in place, and he sat atop an unusual corporate structure with around 60 direct reports. (These numbers are slightly outdated, but according to the Harvard Business Review<\/em>, 10 to 20 is far more common<\/a> among Fortune 500 companies, and Tim Cook reportedly had 17 in 2015<\/a>, which was deemed \u201ca lot\u201d by Business Insider<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThen on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Then on Wednesday, November 11th, The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that Jensen Huang had a second affair \u2014 this one with one of his direct reports, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia\u2019s vice president of health care. Whether that was the last straw or if they were afraid it would be merely the tip of the iceberg, the board was ready to push Jensen Huang out,<\/a> according to reports circulating that evening. According to Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>, he had accepted his fate Wednesday evening reportedly looking \u201cbroken and shattered\u201d and telling people, \u201cI\u2019m a piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOn Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
On Thursday, November 12th, Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned<\/a> as CEO of Nvidia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
CFO Colette Kress was immediately named interim CEO, and acknowledged to employees that this has been an \u201cextraordinarily difficult period<\/a>.\u201d Harvey Jones was also named the first board chair in the company\u2019s history, already signaling there would be some changes to the corporate structure. In a memo to employees, Jones said the company would \u201csearch for a permanent successor looking at both internal and external candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBut the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
But the destabilizing impact was immediate. Nvidia\u2019s stock closed at an all-time high of $239.24 on October 6th<\/a>. It closed at $162.85<\/a> on November 13th. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of Nvidia to the US\u2019s AI arms race with China<\/a>, and the industry in general. The company has invested $99 billion<\/a> in various AI labs, startups, and neo clouds. Plus has announced plans to mobilize over $500 billion<\/a> in financing for building out AI data centers and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nEven before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Even before Jensen Huang had resigned, Nvidia was already facing a shareholder lawsuit<\/a> claiming the company had deceived investors. Jensen Huang and the company\u2019s spokespeople insisted that the relationship with Alice Huang and Megaspeed was \u201ccompletely normal and not unusual<\/a>.\u201d Only days later, Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair that raised \u201cnational security concerns<\/a>\u201d without naming anyone specifically. According to Reuters<\/em><\/a>, Jensen Huang misled several Nvidia leaders, \u201cincluding general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld\u201d about the nature of his relationship with Alice Huang.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMany in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Many in the AI industry and Silicon Valley jumped to Jensen Huang\u2019s defense<\/a>. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a \u201csad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity<\/a>,\u201d in a particularly hyperbolic post. Elon Musk said on X that it would \u201cbe an honor<\/a>\u201d to hire Jensen Huang. Many of Nvidia\u2019s employees even voiced their support to \u201cbring back THE boss<\/a>,\u201d on an internal post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSome even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Some even speculated that Jensen Huang was the victim of a vast conspiracy<\/a>, whether that was a coup by some faction within Nvidia, or perhaps the goal of China all along had simply been to chase him from the CEO chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nBy Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
By Thursday night, Reuters reported a third affair<\/a>, this one also with an Nvidia employee, though no further information has emerged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFirst and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
First and foremost for Nvidia, it must find a new CEO. It\u2019s possible that Kress eventually ceases to be \u201cinterim\u201d CEO, but other names, including Apple\u2019s hardware chief Johny Srouji<\/a>, have also been rumored. (Donald Trump believes they should hire Tim Cook<\/a>, but to call that unlikely would be an understatement.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
It\u2019s also possible that Nvidia will undergo a dramatic reorganization. Whoever takes over as CEO is unlikely to keep the 60 direct reports of Jensen Huang. With a first-ever board chair in Jones, it\u2019s also possible that the board of directors will play a larger role in the company going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The board\u2019s investigation into Jensen Huang that began on November 8th is ongoing. The scandal is likely to drag on for some time<\/a>. With the possibility that Jensen Huang will have to testify before Congress<\/a>, the company may choose to be proactive about disclosing any additional information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
The incoming Democratic majority is expected to come down harder on Silicon Valley than the current Republican Congress. While it\u2019s unclear just how far the new House and Senate will go in trying to rein in the tech industry and its billionaire leaders, it\u2019s possible it will try to make an example of Nvidia as an early act of strength. If Nvidia is found to have been turning a blind eye to companies like Megaspeed, which are suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, it could face civil or criminal penalties. And it seems increasingly likely that stricter trade restrictions will be implemented on Nvidia\u2019s chips, which could increase tensions with China in an already costly trade war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
There is a possibility that Jensen Huang could face criminal charges. In May, he claimed that Nvidia had \u201czero percent<\/a>\u201d market share in China due to stringent export restrictions. But shortly after, Culper Research published a report claiming that in reality over 20 percent<\/a> of the company\u2019s 2026 compute revenue was from China, though that number has not been independently verified. The report cited \u201cillegal GPU diversion and Southeast Asian intermediaries\u201d as the primary source of those revenues. Among the largest of those intermediaries, according to Culper Research, was Megaspeed, which Nvidia repeatedly vouched for to the US government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nIf proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
If proof is established that the CEO was knowingly helping Megaspeed or any other companies to illegally divert restricted chips to China, he could face criminal charges. And, as The Verge\u2019s<\/em> Elizabeth Lopatto put it, \u201cunder a functioning legal system, [he] could actually go to jail<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
There is the chance that members of the current administration are also tied up in this scandal, as it\u2019s unclear how much the White House knew and when<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nConsidering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
Considering Nvidia\u2019s sizable investments, borrowing to build data centers, and the importance of its hardware, there are tons of open questions about how this impacts not just the AI industry, but the American economy as a whole. Nvidia is essentially propping up<\/a> a large part of the tech industry and, if money stops flowing out of its coffers, it could drag a lot of other companies down with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThere are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
There are also open questions about how this impacts the American public\u2019s perception of the AI industry. The new Democratic majority was elected in part by campaigning against AI companies<\/a> and the explosion of data center buildout across the country. That one of its more prominent CEOs is now embroiled in a spying scandal and multiple extramarital affairs probably isn\u2019t going to endear the industry to the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nMegaspeed was the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, but when Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times<\/em><\/a> visited its office in October of 2025, it found \u201cno signs of activity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nMegaspeed is just one of multiple companies that Nvidia has been approved to sell chips with suspicious offices. The New York Times<\/em><\/a> described New Matrix\u2019s headquarters as \u201ca hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\nJensen Huang\u2019s connections to Super Micro are also under scrutiny. Earlier this year, one of its founders<\/a>, an employee, and a contractor<\/a> for the company were indicted<\/a> by the Justice Department for conspiring to violate American export controls and divert Nvidia chips to China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhile a lot has changed, it\u2019s still worth reading the Times<\/em><\/a>\u2019 first big report from October 29th that lays the groundwork for the eventual deluge of international intrigue and infidelity that ultimately led to Jensen Huang\u2019s downfall.<\/span><\/li>\nThe New York Times<\/em><\/a> paints a fascinating portrait of Alice Huang who now finds herself at the center of an international espionage scandal.<\/span><\/li>\nThe Decoder<\/em> interview with Kyle Chan<\/a>, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution\u2019s John L. Thornton China Center, digs into what China hoped to get out of Jensen Huang.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nFollow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/svg><\/span>Terrence O’Brien<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n