Bill Ackman, Elon Musk back Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang after affair with alleged Chinese spy

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Jensen Huang’s admission that he had an affair with Alice Huang, an executive at Singaporean data-centre company Megaspeed who has been described in reports as an alleged Chinese intelligence asset, has put the Nvidia chief’s private life and the company’s leadership under scrutiny. Huang apologised to his family and colleagues in a letter to staff, accepted responsibility for the hurt caused and said he would co-operate with an independent board investigation. He also said he was committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting US national security.

The episode carries particular weight because Huang has led Nvidia since co-founding it in 1993 and has become closely identified with its rise into a major force in the artificial intelligence industry. The company’s family ties are also prominent: his children hold senior positions, while his wife, Lori Mills Huang, leads the family foundation, which controls a substantial Nvidia shareholding. The board must consider the national security questions around the relationship as well as the implications for a business whose identity and strategy are strongly associated with its chief executive.

Several influential figures have publicly expressed support. Investor Bill Ackman said Huang was human, had taken responsibility and deserved support, while cautioning that the situation would be more serious if it involved more than an affair or raised a security risk. Elon Musk agreed with venture capitalist Shaun Maguire’s view that Huang may have acted foolishly without malicious intent, and that his leadership matters to US AI ambitions. President Donald Trump also called Huang an honourable person who had done a good job for the country, while saying he had not yet spoken with him.

Investors and analysts face a difficult calculation: whether the allegations point to a security or governance problem serious enough to threaten Huang’s position, and what a change in leadership might mean for Nvidia. One crisis communications expert quoted by the New York Post argued that disruption at the top could damage the company, while tech analyst Dan Ives dismissed talk of replacing Huang as unrealistic, citing Nvidia’s lead over Chinese chipmakers. The board’s investigation will be central to establishing what happened and whether the affair had wider implications; the available reports do not establish that Huang knowingly assisted a foreign government.

• nypost.com
• www.theguardian.com