Ousted Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang reportedly had an affair with a second employee at the chipmaker, bringing to three the number of relationships reported in the days surrounding his departure. Reuters cited two people familiar with the matter and did not name the employee.
Huang, 63, resigned on Thursday, November 12, after Nvidia’s board held an emergency meeting following reports that he had been involved with Kimberly Powell, 48, the company’s vice president of healthcare, according to The Sun. His resignation took effect immediately, ending more than three decades at the helm of the company he co-founded. Nvidia named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress interim chief executive while the board searches for a permanent successor.
The first reports linked Huang to Alice Huang, a 49-year-old Chinese businesswoman who shares his surname and is unrelated to him. He acknowledged an extramarital affair in a statement on Sunday, 8 November, without naming her. US intelligence officials suspect Alice Huang of working for Chinese intelligence, according to reports. Beijing denies the allegation.
The Sun reported that the FBI had launched an investigation into the circumstances of the relationship. Nvidia’s board had already opened its own inquiry into whether Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. Independent directors are leading that inquiry with outside lawyers, Reuters reported.
Nvidia declined to comment on the latest report. Reuters said Jensen Huang, Powell and a representative of Nvidia’s board did not respond to requests for comment. The news agency was unable to reach Alice Huang or the unnamed employee. ReadDaily News
Nvidia, whose chips power many of the systems used to train and run AI models, came under further pressure in the stock market on Thursday. The Sun reported that about $200 billion was wiped from its market value that day, bringing losses since Huang’s Sunday statement to about $500 billion. Reuters reported that shares fell 5.5 per cent in Thursday trading and were down more than 30 per cent from their early October peak.
The Sun also reported that the controversy had intensified scrutiny of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over his oversight of Nvidia’s chip exports to China. The newspaper said Lutnick’s position was in doubt and that Huang was expected to appear before Congress for questioning.
Huang and his wife, Lori, met when he was 17 and she was 19. They have two children, both of whom work at Nvidia, according to The Sun. The newspaper said the couple had no prenuptial agreement and speculated that a divorce could put up to half of Huang’s fortune at stake. Its report gave no indication that either had filed for divorce.