Why Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO, and what we know about the spy allegations

Huang steps down immediately

Nvidia announced Thursday that Jensen Huang had resigned as CEO, effective immediately. He had led the company since co-founding it in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem.

The board named Harvey C. Jones as Nvidia’s first chairman. The company said it is weighing candidates from inside and outside Nvidia for the permanent CEO position; it had no clear successor in place before Huang’s departure.

Reports prompt scrutiny

The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence suspected a businesswoman, identified as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, of passing information to Beijing. Beijing denies the allegation. The article says she and Jensen Huang are not related, despite sharing a surname.

Huang apologized to employees in a Sunday email, saying he had been unfaithful to his wife and that his actions had hurt her and their children. Nvidia said it was investigating whether he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort, and stated it had no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.

After reports emerged late Wednesday of a separate alleged affair with an Nvidia executive who reported directly to Huang, he resigned. Reuters later reported an intimate relationship with a second employee, citing unidentified sources. Nvidia’s Thursday announcement did not address either relationship, and the company has provided no notable new updates on its internal review.

A pivotal moment for Nvidia

The reports have shaken the company, whose high-end chips have become leading building blocks for artificial intelligence. Huang has also been a prominent figure in the AI race and in Washington, often alongside President Donald Trump.

The national security questions add to the pressure on Nvidia as it searches for a permanent leader. The company says its inquiry will examine all available information.