- In a memo to employees, Jensen Huang wrote "I was unfaithful to my wife" and "I am deeply sorry"; the memo does not name the woman, but The New York Times reported he told the board it was Alice Huang [11][12][14].
- Nvidia's board said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will investigate reports that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, and that it has "no reason to believe" national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised [2].
- President Trump called Huang "an honorable guy" and said he had not discussed the allegations with him [13].
- Three House Republican chairmen have asked Huang to brief them on Nov. 18, and Democrats including incoming Senate Foreign Relations chair Chris Coons say Congress will investigate [4][6].
- Nvidia reports third-quarter results on Nov. 17; a spokesman said Huang will keep leading the company "without interruption" [7][14].
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told employees on Sunday that he "was unfaithful to my wife," in a memo published in full by The Verge and Business Insider [11][12]. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he wrote [11]. Axios and Bloomberg first reported the admission [1][3]. The memo does not name the woman; The New York Times reported that Huang told Nvidia's board the relationship was with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive U.S. officials suspect of working for Chinese intelligence, who is not related to him [14].
Nvidia's board said the same day it is opening an independent investigation into "recent reporting" that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort [2]. "A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel" will oversee it, the board said, adding that it has "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised" [2]. "Jensen fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it," the statement said. "The Board has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team" [2].
President Donald Trump called Huang "an honorable guy" on Sunday evening and said he had not discussed the allegations with him, Reuters reported. "I have not spoken to him about it. I just know he's a fine person, but you never know what is going on," Trump said. "I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it" [13].
What Huang told employees
Huang addressed the memo "To my colleagues at NVIDIA" and opened with "I owe my family and all of you an apology" [11]. "I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it," he wrote [11].
To employees, the board, partners and shareholders he wrote: "you deserve better from me. Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life. My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility. I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence" [11][12].
The memo addresses the spying reports in one paragraph. "Regarding the national security concerns raised in news reports, NVIDIA's Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation. I support the investigation and will cooperate fully," Huang wrote. "I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America's national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American" [11]. He ended by asking for privacy for his family [11].
Nvidia spokesman John Rizzo said "Jensen is committed to continuing to lead Nvidia as CEO without interruption" [14].
Trump stands by Huang
Trump said Huang had "done an amazing job for our country" and added, "I hope everything's fine" [13]. Asked whether he would take Huang on his trip to Asia next week, he said: "I don't know, but I'd certainly take him" [13].
The Times reported that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence findings about Alice Huang but apparently took no action, according to the San Francisco Standard's account of that report [14].
How the reports built up
The thread began on Oct. 29, when The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence had assessed that Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, was passing information to Beijing [5]. The U.S. has suspected Megaspeed of helping China get around restrictions on AI chip sales [4]. Nvidia said then that "Jensen's interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected" [5], and Huang told Bloomberg at the time that his interactions with her "have been related to Megaspeed, and it was all completely normal and not unusual" [8].
On Friday, Nov. 6, the Financial Times reported that a U.S. government memo based on intelligence described a romantic relationship between the two, and that officials believe China's Ministry of State Security recruited Alice Huang [9]. MLQ covered the FT report. China's foreign ministry has called the reports "baseless and purely slanderous smears against China" [5].
Nvidia has described Huang's contacts with Alice Huang as ordinary customer dealings and said no sensitive trade secrets or national security information was shared [4]. Neither the board's statement nor Huang's memo describes the relationship, and neither the company nor the reports cited here say what, if anything, was passed to Beijing.
Congress wants a briefing
The Republican chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs, China and Intelligence committees, Reps. Brian Mast, John Moolenaar and Rick Crawford, wrote to Huang on Nov. 4 asking for a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18 about his interactions with Alice Huang and Nvidia's protections against espionage [6]. "It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk," they wrote [6]. MLQ reported the request on Nov. 6.
Democrats have joined in. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who is in line to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Democrats take control in January, posted that "Congress will investigate and get answers" (MLQ coverage) [4]. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) called for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify alongside Huang, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called "outrageous" a Times report that the administration approved a Chinese firm, New Matrix, to assemble Nvidia chips [4]. MLQ covered that report on Nov. 7.
Nvidia spokesman John Rizzo declined to say whether Huang will attend the briefing. "Our chief executive has an outstanding security team that accompanies him where needed," he said [4].
A hard week for Nvidia
The reports landed during a broad sell-off in AI stocks [10]. On Nov. 6 the White House called off a meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, whose members include Huang, a day after a sharp tech sell-off; the administration gave no reason and did not link it to the Huang reports [10]. MLQ's coverage: the PCAST cancellation, the Nasdaq correction, the AI-led sell-off and Friday’s rebound. MLQ also reported that TSMC was weighing 3D DRAM at Nvidia’s request, according to The Information, and TSMC’s response.
Nvidia will report results for its fiscal third quarter on Tuesday, Nov. 17, with a conference call at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) [7]. The requested House briefing would come the next day [4], and Nvidia holds a major conference in Washington at the end of the month [15]. The board said it will provide further updates as appropriate [2].
How the story developed
- Nov. 8, about 7 p.m. ETTrump calls Huang "an honorable guy" and says he has not spoken to him about the allegations, Reuters reports.
- Nov. 8, about 5 p.m. ETBusiness Insider and The Verge publish the full text of Huang's memo, in which he writes "I was unfaithful to my wife" and says he supports the board's investigation. Nvidia says he will keep leading the company "without interruption."
- Nov. 8, afternoon ETAxios and Bloomberg report that Jensen Huang admitted the relationship in a message to Nvidia employees; Nvidia's board announces an independent investigation led by a committee of independent directors with outside counsel.
- Nov. 8CNBC reports bipartisan pressure: Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) wants Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify alongside Huang, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) calls a report on a Chinese firm cleared to assemble Nvidia servers "outrageous."
- Nov. 7Sen. Chris Coons, in line to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January, posts that "Congress will investigate and get answers." The New York Times reports the U.S. cleared a Chinese firm, New Matrix, to assemble Nvidia H200 servers.
- Nov. 6The Financial Times reports a U.S. government memo describing a romantic relationship between Huang and Alice Huang. Separately, the White House calls off a PCAST meeting whose members include Huang; no reason is given.
- Nov. 5The Republican chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs, China and Intelligence committees ask Huang for a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18.
- Oct. 29The New York Times reports U.S. intelligence assessed that Alice Huang gathered information for Beijing; Huang tells Bloomberg his interactions with her were "completely normal."
Companies mentioned
Further sources
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