Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to being unfaithful to his wife. He did so in an email to employees as the chipmaker’s board opened an independent investigation into reports that he was the target of a foreign intelligence effort.
“I owe my family and all of you an apology,” Huang wrote in the email, titled “A message to our company” and reported by Axios. “There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”
The admission follows an October 29 New York Times report. It said US intelligence agencies had identified Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, as a Chinese intelligence asset who built a close relationship with the Nvidia chief.
Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen, was a senior executive at Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed. The US Commerce Department began investigating Megaspeed late in the Biden administration over concerns it was helping China get around US curbs on Nvidia AI chips.
Nvidia has said those allegations were “thoroughly investigated and debunked.” Huang called his dealings with her “completely normal” and said the US government never warned him about her.
In his email, Huang addressed employees, the board, partners and shareholders directly: “You deserve better from me.” He called leading Nvidia “the privilege of my life.”
The board said a committee of independent directors, supported by outside counsel, will lead the investigation. It added that it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised, and expressed confidence in Huang.
Huang pledged full cooperation. “I love our country and our company,” he wrote. “I am proud and grateful to be an American.”
Pressure is building in Washington. Republican chairs of three House committees have asked Huang for a closed-door briefing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment, calling it an “internal corporate matter.”
For the world’s most valuable chipmaker, the episode raises hard questions about leadership, governance and the security of America’s most strategic technology.
