San Francisco, Nov 12:
Nvidia Corp.’s board of directors is reportedly preparing to remove Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang following disclosures of multiple extramarital affairs, including a relationship with a woman suspected of acting as a Chinese intelligence operative, according to media reports.
The board was slated to convene to decide the 63-year-old co-founder’s future after Huang acknowledged on Sunday having an affair with Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed International—a major Nvidia customer currently under US investigation over alleged chip smuggling—while separate reports also cited an affair with Nvidia healthcare vice president Kimberly Powell. Following the reports, Nvidia shares tumbled eight per cent in extended trading to $159.95.
The sudden crisis has highlighted the absence of a formal succession plan at the dominant artificial intelligence chipmaker, where Huang has served as the central strategist and dealmaker driving the global AI hardware boom. While Beijing has dismissed allegations of espionage, Huang’s potential departure threatens to send shockwaves across the global semiconductor and technology sectors.