Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, publicly admitted he was unfaithful to his wife of 40 years. The personal scandal has taken on national security dimensions because U.S. officials say one of the alleged partners, Megaspeed executive Alice Huang — not related to Jensen Huang — is suspected of being a Chinese intelligence asset who passed information to Beijing.
Background: Megaspeed and chip purchases Megaspeed, a Singapore-based AI infrastructure company, reportedly purchased about $4.8 billion in Nvidia chips over the past two years. Both the U.S. and Singapore previously investigated Megaspeed on suspicions it illegally transferred chips to China; the Justice Department later assumed the federal investigation, according to reporting.
Public admission and corporate investigation On November 8, 2026, Jensen Huang published a letter to Nvidia employees — also released as a press statement — in which he acknowledged his infidelity, apologized to his family and staff, and said Nvidia’s Board of Directors had initiated an independent investigation. Huang said he would fully cooperate, affirmed his commitment to protecting Nvidia and U.S. national security, and expressed remorse. Nvidia shares fell more than 5% the following day.
New allegations and internal complications On November 11, 2026, The New York Times, citing five Nvidia employees, reported that Huang also had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, who reports directly to him. The Times said footage captured the two being affectionate in a hotel during a conference earlier this year. Nvidia, Jensen Huang and Kimberly Powell have not confirmed the report; a Times reporter said Huang told them by phone, “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly,” and hung up.
Board action and market reaction The Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia’s board is preparing to consider ousting Huang. Following the reports, Nvidia shares fell about 8% in after-hours trading and were down roughly 11% over the past five days.
Congressional interest On November 5, 2026, three Republican committee chairmen — John Moolenaar (House Select Committee on China), Brian Mast (House Foreign Affairs Committee), and Rick Crawford (House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence) — requested a closed-door joint briefing with Huang, citing significant national security concerns over the People’s Republic of China’s access to sensitive U.S. technology. Moolenaar said on Fox Business that if Huang does not agree to attend, he would likely be subpoenaed.
Further reporting and past probes Reports say Alice Huang and her family built a network of companies in China and Singapore to acquire Nvidia chips and founded a Chinese company, Shanghai Century Litong, in 2023; The Information reported that the firm became an Nvidia-preferred cloud partner and helped facilitate purchases of $7.5 billion worth of Nvidia chips, including banned chips.
Bloomberg reported that Tim Teter, Nvidia’s general counsel, intervened in a 2025 U.S. government probe into alleged Megaspeed chip smuggling, contacting Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler with questions about whether the Trump administration was involved in Alice Huang’s detention. The Financial Times reported that in early 2025 Alice Huang and a business partner sought China-based investors for an Asian data center, assuring investors they could secure GPUs.
Early warnings and political context According to The New York Times, a secret memo circulated within the Trump administration in spring 2026 warning that Alice Huang might be an agent of China’s Ministry of State Security; Secretary of State Marco Rubio supervised the memo’s drafting. The Times also reported that President Donald Trump was briefed on the intelligence in late 2025 but did not act. Jensen Huang, described in reporting as an ally of Trump, has publicly advocated allowing Nvidia to expand business in China.
Megaspeed investigations In October 2025 both U.S. and Singaporean authorities confirmed investigations into Megaspeed for potential circumvention of U.S. export controls. Megaspeed operated a cloud that used Nvidia chips and reportedly rented computing capacity to Chinese companies including Alibaba. A Commerce Department official who visited a Megaspeed data center in Malaysia in 2024 found many Nvidia units still packed in boxes; investigators worried the equipment might be shipped directly to China rather than deployed locally.
Current state and implications Ongoing investigations, congressional scrutiny, the board’s inquiry and market reactions have increased uncertainty around Nvidia’s leadership and commercial relationships. The case combines personal misconduct, corporate governance questions and U.S. national security concerns. How the investigations, possible subpoenas and any board decisions unfold will shape Nvidia’s future role in the U.S.–China technological competition.
Timeline (reverse chronological)
- November 11, 2026: Wall Street Journal reports Nvidia’s board is preparing to consider ousting Jensen Huang; shares fell about 8% after hours. The New York Times reports an alleged affair with Kimberly Powell.
- November 11, 2026: Republican committee chairmen said Huang could be subpoenaed after he did not respond to a request for a closed-door briefing.
- November 9, 2026: Huang withdrew from scheduled speaking engagements including the ElevenLabs Summit and Anthropic CEO Forum.
- November 9–10, 2026: Reporting detailed the business links between Megaspeed, Alice Huang and networks that acquired Nvidia chips; The Information and Financial Times published findings.
- November 8, 2026: Huang publicly admitted infidelity; Nvidia’s Board launched an independent investigation; the stock declined.
- November 5, 2026: Three Republican committee chairmen requested a closed-door joint briefing with Huang over national security concerns.
- Late October 2026: The New York Times reported U.S. officials had been investigating Alice Huang and Megaspeed and that Jensen Huang had a close relationship with Alice Huang; Nvidia denied the relationship was out of the ordinary.
- Spring 2026: A classified memo in the Trump administration warned Alice Huang might be an agent of China’s Ministry of State Security; Marco Rubio oversaw its drafting.
- October 2025: U.S. and Singapore authorities confirmed investigations into Megaspeed over suspected export violations.
The case remains active as investigations and political scrutiny continue, with potential consequences for Nvidia’s governance and the broader U.S.–China competition over advanced AI infrastructure.
