Nvidia’s Jensen Huang resigns over relationship with suspected Chinese spy
Finance chief Colette Kress will run the AI chip giant on an interim basis as its shares tumble.
Jensen Huang has resigned as chief executive of Nvidia with immediate effect, following reports that he had a relationship with a suspected Chinese agent.
The company’s board announced on Thursday that Huang, who co-founded the firm in 1993, had stepped down as president, chief executive and board member.
Colette Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO and keep her finance role while the board looks for a permanent replacement among internal and external candidates. Harvey C. Jones has been named the company’s first-ever board chair.
"NVIDIA’s strength has always come from its people, and together with our leadership team, I am committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years," Kress said.
The resignation comes after days of scandal. The New York Times reported that Huang, 63, had a relationship with a Chinese tech executive allegedly recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security. The board had opened an independent investigation into that relationship after Huang admitted to having an extramarital affair.
The paper later reported a second affair, with a married healthcare executive who reported to him. That may have broken the company’s code of conduct.
Nvidia's board said it had “no reason to believe” that either national security or Nvidia’s secrets were compromised, but that a thorough independent investigation would be carried out.
China has denied any involvement and a spokesperson said "The report in question is based on groundless speculation and is nothing more than an attempt to smear China".
The resignation follows Jensen Huang admitting to a relationship with Alice Huang, a senior executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed.
In an email to staff on Sunday, Jensen Huang wrote: “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.” He added that he supported the board’s investigation and would “cooperate fully”.
US intelligence reportedly circulated a memo last spring alleging that Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was an operative for China’s Ministry of State Security. She was reportedly being monitored over possibly steering AI chips to China. Megaspeed runs data centres across Southeast Asia and has become Nvidia’s largest customer in the region.
