Nvidia CEO resigns after $4 trillion company confirms foreign intelligence probe

Jensen Huang resigned as chief executive of Nvidia on Thursday, handing the reins to Colette Kress, the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer. The 63-year-old co-founder left the tech giant he established in 1993 amid a dual investigation by federal authorities and the corporate board. These probes examine allegations that Huang maintained extramarital relationships, including one with a woman intelligence officials believe was working for China.

The path to Huang's departure began in June 2024, when a photograph showed him seated next to Alice Huang, a businesswoman with no relation to the CEO, at Computex Taipei. By late 2025, U.S. intelligence had briefed President Donald Trump that Jensen Huang was in a relationship with a suspected Chinese operative. Trump took no immediate action. In December 2025, the president approved a policy allowing Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China in exchange for a 25% government cut on sales. Huang continued to serve as a close adviser, joining Trump on state visits to Great Britain and China throughout 2026.

Public scrutiny intensified in late October 2026. The New York Times reported on the close relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, an executive at Singaporean tech firm Megaspeed. Two days later, the Wall Street Journal detailed that intelligence agencies in the U.S., Singapore, and Taiwan suspected Alice Huang of being a Chinese spy. On Nov. 8, Jensen Huang sent a memo to colleagues admitting he was unfaithful to his wife, Lori. He stated he accepted full responsibility for the hurt he caused and apologized to the board and shareholders.

The board launched an independent investigation into whether Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The company noted it had no reason to believe national security or corporate secrets were compromised. On Nov. 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the spy claims as "pure slander." President Trump said he had spoken with Huang by phone, noting the CEO claimed he did not know the woman was a spy. On Nov. 11, reports emerged that Huang had a second extramarital relationship with a senior Nvidia executive. House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Brian Mast threatened to subpoena Huang if he did not provide a closed-door briefing to Republicans.

Nvidia announced the resignation and the appointment of interim leadership on Nov. 12. The board is now searching for a permanent replacement for Huang, who had previously received the National Medal for Science and Technology and Innovation from Trump in October.