The CEO of tech giant Nvidia is under scrutiny by both his own company and politicians amid reports he was the target of an alleged Chinese spy.
As a result of the allegations and investigation, Nvidia’s stock fell four per cent on Monday.
The New York Times reported on Oct. 29 that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had been involved in a relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive of Nvidia Cloud partner Megaspeed. Eight days later on Nov. 6, the New York Times reported U.S. intelligence had alleged she was a spy for Beijing.
Huang acknowledged his affair in a letter to his family and the company this weekend.
Here’s what is known so far about Huang, his relationship with the Megaspeed former executive and what this means for the Nvidia going forward.
Who is Jensen Huang?
Jensen Huang is the president and CEO of Nvidia and co-founded the multi-national technology company in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem.
The 63-year-old was born in Taiwan then moved to Thailand with his family as a child before being sent by his parents to live in the U.S. at age nine. He graduated from Oregon State University as an electrical engineer and received a master’s degree in the same field from Stanford University.
Ranked the eighth richest man in the world by Forbes and sometimes known as “Daddy Huang,” he’s been also recognized for his trademark leather jackets and high-profile launches.
Huang also has a close relationship with President Donald Trump, having travelled to China in May as part of a state visit. He’s also pushed Trump to ease export restrictions on Nvidia chips.
He’s been married to his wife Lori Huang since 1985 and has two children. Their daughter Madison is a senior director of product and technical marketing for physical AI platforms at Nvidia, while son Spencer manages robotics software products.
The Nvidia CEO apologized to both his wife and children in a letter the company posted Sunday, admitting he was unfaithful.
“My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” Huang wrote. “My family bears no responsibility for my choices. I do. Please give them privacy.
China's interest in Nvidia
According to the New York Times, Alice Huang was recruited by China to collect intelligence on Nvidia’s CEO in an effort by Beijing to learn more about American AI chips. There was also the potential for influencing Nvidia to push for its most advanced chips to be made available to China, which is rapidly pursuing advance AI development and seen as a key rival to the U.S. in the industry.
Global News has not independently verified the New York Times reporting.
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China criticized the reporting on Monday.
“The so-called claims of Chinese spy narrative are purely a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear,” said Gua Jiakun, spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry.
But Beijing has been interested in AI microchips from Nvidia for several years.
Its most advanced chips are barred from sale in China, but the Trump administration gave permission for Nvidia to sell its H200 chips to 10 approved Chinese firms last year.
China has imposed its own restrictions over concerns of dependence on U.S. technology, with Reuters reporting about 600,000 of the company’s chips are stored in Hong Kong awaiting shipment.
“We know for a fact that China has engaged in espionage particularly in those areas it has identified as strategic and one of those areas right now is going to be frontier AI,” said Stephanie Carvin, a former national security analyst and associate professor at Carleton University.
“It absolutely needs and wants the chips that are produced by Nvidia and other companies to further its ambitions in this kind of geopolitical race.”
What is Megaspeed and who is Alice Huang?
Alice Huang is a Chinese citizen and former executive of Megaspeed, an AI company that calls itself a specialized Cloud provider and a partner of Nvidia in the Asia-Pacific region.
Huang is a common surname in China.
The company has been under investigation by the U.S. government over suspicions it helped Beijing gain access to the U.S. tech giant’s advanced AI chips that are currently barred.
In December 2025, Megaspeed posted a message that its company had undergone multiple inspections by U.S. government departments, as well as Nvidia.
“These thorough investigations have confirmed that there has been no evidence of any violations concerning the illicit transfer of chips or any illegal activities, and this demonstrates that we are a compliant and legitimate company,” the statement reads.
Global News has requested comment on the latest investigation involving its former executive.
It is not known at this time when the pair started their relationship, but Reuters reported the two were previously pictured at a bar together in Taipei in 2025 during a technology conference.
The affair appears to have hallmarks of what security experts call a “honey pot.”
“They could be convincing you to try and give up information that you have or to make certain decisions and try to persuade you in some way,” she said. “But even just the affair itself can be harmful, right, because it can be used as blackmail.”
Chinese industrial espionage has been a significant concern for officials over recent decades in both Canada and the U.S.
Last year in Canada, a former researcher with Hydro Quebec was put on trial for allegedly spying for China. He’s accused of sharing confidential research with Beijing for the commercialization of battery technologies. A verdict has not yet been delivered.
The U.S. FBI calls the counterintelligence and espionage efforts by China a “grave threat” to the country’s economic well-being and democratic values.
“The counterintelligence and economic espionage efforts emanating from the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party are a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States,” the FBI says.
“Confronting this threat is the FBI’s top counterintelligence priority.”
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, there have been at least 224 reported instances of Chinese espionage up to 2023 starting in 2000.
The listed incidents primarily involved the illicit acquisition of information by Chinese intelligence officers or their agents and over the years have targeted NASA, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Coca Cola, Google as well as oil companies, the U.S. Department of Defense, and multiple technology firms, among others including political campaigns and military research.
“It should be noted that the incidents of Chinese espionage far outnumber those by any other country, even Russia,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted in its assessment.
“The long-term cost to the American economy and national security cannot be precisely measured, but estimates run into the billions of dollars for commercial and technological espionage.”
What's next for Nvidia?
Following Huang’s apology, Nvidia announced Sunday it was launching an investigation led by a committee of independent directors and assisted by outside counsel.
The company said it prioritizes national and economic security, though adds it has “no reason to believe” either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. The board said it has confidence in Huang and his leadership team.
Nvidia appears to be backing its CEO for now, but Jeffrey Sonnenfeld at Yale University said while Huang has no successor at this time and has been praised for his work with the company, his future is “50-50.”
“It’s 50-50 whether or not he can hold onto his position,” Sonnenfeld told Global News. “There’s a blow to his credibility though already that he would put the company at risk … Even if exonerated, he certainly has a permanent black eye for the recklessness.”
U.S. lawmakers have launched their own investigation, with three Republican House committee chairs requesting Huang appear before them for a joint, closed-door briefing on his interactions with Alice Huang.
They’ve asked him to appear on Nov. 18 or to provide an alternative date by Nov. 11.
The U.S. president commented on the allegations against Huang on Sunday, calling him an “honourable guy,” but said he hasn’t spoken with the CEO about the allegations.
“I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it,” Trump said, adding he’d take Huang with him to Asia on his planned trip next week.
With files from Reuters.
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