Jensen Huang resigns: From extramarital affairs to China links, how the Nvidia controversy unfolded | Timeline
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned from the company on 12 November as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board, effective immediately. Nvidia CEO, who was under scrutiny over his extramarital affairs, one of which was with Alice Huang, a former executive at the Singapore-based data center firm Megaspeed.
Reportedly, the US government suspected Alice of having links to Chinese intelligence. Days after Jensen Huang admitted infidelity, fresh controversy erupted over another alleged extramarital affair with a company employee, Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's Vice President of Healthcare.
The company's official statement doesn't mention the reason for Jensen's resignation. However, under Nvidia's bylaws, Huang can be removed "with or without cause" by a majority vote of the directors, Reuters reported earlier.
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
1
Why did Jensen Huang resign as Nvidia CEO?⌵Nvidia’s official statement did not give a reason for Huang’s resignation. He stepped down amid scrutiny over his admitted infidelity, reports of relationships with Alice Huang and Nvidia executive Kimberly Powell, and questions about possible China-related chip exports.
2
Who is Alice Huang, and why did US officials investigate her?⌵Alice Huang was a managing director of Singapore-based Megaspeed International, which became an Nvidia customer and cloud partner. US officials investigated whether Megaspeed had diverted Nvidia AI chips to China; reports said investigators suspected links between Alice Huang and Chinese intelligence, but the allegation was not established as fact.
3
What did Jensen Huang say about the affair allegations?⌵On 8 November 2026, Huang told Nvidia employees he had been unfaithful to his wife but did not identify the person or give details. The following day, reports alleged a separate relationship with Nvidia Vice President of Healthcare Kimberly Powell.
4
Who became Nvidia’s interim CEO after Jensen Huang resigned?⌵Nvidia appointed its chief financial officer and executive vice president, Colette Kress, as interim CEO. She continued to serve as CFO while the company considered its next leadership steps.
5
Could Nvidia’s board remove Jensen Huang as CEO without cause?⌵Nvidia’s bylaws allow the board to remove an executive officer, including the CEO, with or without cause by a majority vote of directors in office. Removing Huang from the board was a separate process governed by shareholder voting requirements.
Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, becomes managing director of Singapore-based Megaspeed International, a spinoff of Chinese firm 7Road Holdings. Megaspeed became an Nvidia customer and cloud partner, procuring Nvidia GPUs to provide AI computing services.
Alice Huang and Jensen Huang are photographed together at a party hosted by Taiwanese server manufacturer Gigabyte during the 2024 Computex technology trade show in Taipei, Taiwan. The photograph showed Jensen, wearing a black leather jacket, seated next to a woman believed to be Alice, who was wearing a pink dress
The US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security began investigating Megaspeed in late 2024 over suspected diversion of Nvidia AI chips to China. The investigation became public in October 2025."
Jensen Huang is photographed again with Alice Huang in Taipei during a private dinner hosted by the Nvidia CEO at San Liu Shi Fu, an upscale Chinese restaurant. “At one point, Jensen Huang can be seen putting his arm around Alice Huang as she kisses him on the right cheek, press livestreams show,” according to a AFP report. “They later leave the restaurant in the same car,” AFP said.
The New York Times reports that Commerce Department officials are looking into connection between Alice Huang and Jensen Huang and potential exports of chips to China. The federal investigators were scrutinising whether Megaspeed, which has close ties to Chinese tech firms, is helping companies in China sidestep American export restrictions
President Donald Trump allows Nvidia to export H200 processors, its second-best artificial intelligence chips, to be exported to China for a 25% fee on such sales.
According to The New York Times, in the spring of 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the drafting of a highly classified memo that gave top Trump administration officials a heads-up that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was in a close relationship with a Chinese Spy.
Jensen Huang joins President Trump along with other corporate executives in his trip to China. Reportedly, Trump asked Huang at the last minute to join the trip.
Trump awards Jensen Huang and other executives the National Medal of Science.
Federal investigators conclude that Alice Huang or Huang Le is a Chinese spy, supplying information to Beijing.
Jensen Huang admits infidelity and tells Nvidia employees he has been unfaithful to his wife, without disclosing details of the relationship or the person he was involved with. Nvidia board launches an independent investigation.
The Information reports that Jensen Huang’s affair helped facilitate at least $7.5 billion worth of Nvidia chip sales to Chinese companies. Nvidia’s board appoints Joon Kim, a partner at law firm Wachtell Lipton and former acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead its investigation.
Jensen Huang's faces fresh allegations of another extramarital affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reported to him
Jensen Huang resigns and Nvidia names Colette Kress, current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as the interim CEO.
(With inputs from Reuters and NYT)
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