Jensen Huang’s Future at Nvidia in Doubt as Board Considers Leadership Amid Affair Scandal

Nvidia’s board of directors has reportedly held a meeting to discuss the future of its CEO, Jensen Huang, following revelations of two alleged extramarital affairs, one of which involves a woman accused by US intelligence of working for China.

The developments have placed the 63-year-old technology executive under intense scrutiny and reportedly contributed to a sharp decline in Nvidia’s shares, raising uncertainty about the leadership of one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.

Huang, who has been instrumental in Nvidia’s growth and the global artificial intelligence revolution, has also attracted attention for his longstanding efforts to oppose restrictions on advanced chip exports to China.

US President Donald Trump approved the sale of Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips to China last year, despite objections from lawmakers and other critics in both political parties.

CNN and The New York Times reported that Nvidia’s board met on Wednesday to deliberate on Huang’s position. The company, however, has not publicly disclosed what was discussed or whether any decision was reached.

China has dismissed the allegations of espionage.

The controversy has coincided with a significant fall in Nvidia’s stock price, which was reportedly down about 25 per cent from its all-time high recorded in early October.

The reports first gained widespread attention after revelations that Huang, who has been married to his wife, Lori Huang, for more than 40 years, had allegedly engaged in an extramarital relationship.

Huang has reportedly admitted to having an affair with Alice Huang, formerly a senior executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company.

The situation became more controversial after reports emerged that US intelligence officials had circulated a memo earlier in the spring accusing Alice Huang of being an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security.

Alice Huang was reportedly present at a dinner hosted by Jensen Huang at a Chinese restaurant in Taipei on May 22, 2025, during the Computex technology exhibition.

Footage from livestreams of the gathering allegedly showed the Nvidia chief putting his arm around her as she kissed him on the right cheek.

A Taiwanese government minister said on Thursday that Alice Huang travelled to Taiwan eight times between 2024 and 2025.

In response to the initial reports, Nvidia’s board announced on Sunday that it had launched an investigation into what it described as reporting that Jensen Huang had been the target of a “foreign intelligence effort”.

However, the situation took another turn on Wednesday after The New York Times reported allegations of a second extramarital affair involving Huang.

The newspaper said video evidence showed the Nvidia CEO being affectionate with Kimberly Powell, the company’s 48-year-old vice president of healthcare.

Powell has played a prominent role in Nvidia’s efforts to extend its chip technology into the healthcare and higher education sectors.

The report said witnesses at a conference in San Jose, California, saw Huang and Powell “being affectionate at the hotel”.

The revelations have also drawn attention to Nvidia’s internal ethics policies, which warn employees and associates against relationships or situations that could create conflicts of interest.

The company’s code of conduct states: “We avoid situations where our actions might create a conflict — actual or potential — between our personal gain and our obligations to Nvidia.”

Colette Kress tipped as possible interim CEO

Questions about Huang’s position have intensified, with reports suggesting that the board could consider replacing him.

Under Nvidia’s corporate bylaws, removing Huang as CEO would require the support of a majority of the company’s 11 board members.

However, such a decision would not automatically cost him his board position, which could only be removed through a shareholder vote.

According to Semafor, some directors are pushing for Nvidia’s Chief Financial Officer, Colette Kress, to take over as interim CEO if Huang is removed.

Bloomberg News separately reported that the board had hired an external firm to help identify potential candidates who could succeed him.

Huang has consistently avoided naming anyone as his eventual successor when asked about the company’s succession arrangements.

The New York Times also previously reported that US lawmakers had requested a closed-door briefing from Huang concerning his interactions with Alice Huang.

Despite the controversy, Huang remains one of the most influential figures in the technology sector.

Nvidia’s dominance in the artificial intelligence market has helped push its stock price and valuation to extraordinary levels, while Huang has become a regular presence at major events involving the Trump administration.

Last month, he appeared alongside Trump at the White House, where the president presented him with the National Medal of Science.

Huang was also among prominent technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, who pledged to promote industry self-regulation of artificial intelligence over concerns about the technology’s potential dangers.

Their position contrasted with Trump’s rejection of calls for stronger government oversight and his dismissal of warnings that artificial intelligence could threaten humanity.

Meanwhile, Nvidia shareholders have instituted a class-action lawsuit against Huang and the company, accusing them of failing to disclose information about his alleged relationship to investors.

Established in 1993, Nvidia originally specialised in designing Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), components developed to process 3D graphics in video games.

The company has since grown into a leading supplier of chips used in artificial intelligence systems.

Most of Nvidia’s processors are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer.

Nvidia is scheduled to publish its quarterly earnings on November 17.