Nvidia founder Jensen Huang has publicly admitted to having an affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and top executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer suspected of helping China obtain restricted AI chips. The woman, known as Huang Le, is believed by the United States intelligence community to have been working as a spy for China's Ministry of State Security.
In a message sent to employees on Sunday, Jensen said: "I owe my family and all of you an apology. I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did."
The Nvidia Board has launched an independent investigation into the matter following reports that the chief executive has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. Independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the probe, which Jensen "fully supports and has committed to cooperating with it."
The board stated in a release that it prioritizes US national and economic security, adding that there is no reason to believe company secrets or national security had been compromised.
Jensen, 63, faces bipartisan scrutiny from US lawmakers over his ties with Alice Huang, and also over a Commerce Department clearance given to New Matrix, a firm assembling chips for Nvidia in Beijing. The scrutiny reflects growing concerns about the security implications of Nvidia's deep ties with Chinese entities.
Huang is currently ranked 13th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with an estimated net worth of about $150.9 billion, after falling out of the world's top 10 richest people following earlier peaks near $200 billion in late 2025. Nvidia, which specializes in artificial intelligence hardware, accelerated computing, and graphics processing units, currently has a market capitalization of approximately $4.5 trillion.
The company's market cap and Jensen's personal wealth highlight the enormous stakes involved in the unfolding scandal, as well as the broader geopolitical tensions surrounding AI technology development between the United States and China.