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Nvidia Hires Wachtell Lipton to Probe CEO Jensen Huang's Affair With Alleged Chinese Spy

Published
Score
30

Why it matters

Nvidia's board has hired Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim, who will lead the investigation under a panel of independent directors. The probe is examining whether CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort and whether company secrets or national security were compromised. The board is also meeting to decide whether to oust Huang. The inquiry followed Huang's Sunday admission that he had an affair with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive whom U.S. intelligence officials reportedly consider a Chinese operative. The New York Times and Financial Times have reported that these agencies believe she passes information to Beijing, but no public finding has established that she worked for Chinese intelligence. Beijing has rejected the allegations as a campaign to "smear and malign China." CNBC, citing the New York Times, also reports a romantic relationship between Huang and an employee, Kimberly Powell.

Several key points remain unresolved. The board has not announced whether it will remove Huang, and the investigation's findings have not been released. The second question the probe is examining has not been detailed publicly. The FBI is conducting a separate investigation, and its scope has not been disclosed. The reports about Alice Huang's alleged ties to Chinese intelligence remain unproven.

Shares fell more than 4% on Monday and 6% on Tuesday as investors weighed the possibility that Huang could be forced out. Shareholders have filed a proposed class action accusing Nvidia and Huang of failing to adequately disclose the affair and its potential business impact. Three House Republican committee leaders have also asked Huang to testify before Congress about Nvidia's security protocols and the possibility of foreign infiltration. Attorneys tracking this matter should watch the board's leadership decision, any findings from Kim's review, the FBI's next steps, and whether the disclosure claims in the class action advance, particularly given Nvidia's central role in AI chips and China export controls.

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