Three affairs, one resignation: How Jensen Huang lost Nvidia in four days

Jensen Huang has resigned as Nvidia CEO on November 12, 2026, after building a trillion-dollar empire and leading the AI boom. The company board has appointed Finance chief Colette Kress as interim CEO while it looks for a successor. In just four days, Nvidia has gone from facing questions over its CEO's affairs and Chinese spy links to witnessing one of the biggest leadership shake-ups in its history.

The challenges started to emerge in October, when the New York Times reported Huang’s close ties with Singapore-based Megaspeed executive Alice Huang. US Intelligence also reported that Alice is a Chinese spy, and that she is passing sensitive information to Beijing. However, on November 8, Huang admitted to an affair, gaining even more attention to his relations with Alice Huang. By Thursday, the board had accepted his resignation.

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How did Jensen Huang’s reign change in four days?

Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia CEO after two reported affairs, raising questions about whether the personal controversy and allegations surrounding his relationships played a role in his sudden exit. Initially, reports focused on Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese citizen, former Megaspeed executive and an Nvidia customer.

The NYT reported that US agencies conducting electronic surveillance concluded that she had a close relationship with Huang and was passing information to Beijing. However, China has called the allegations “smears.” Nvidia also described the relations and meetings as routine and professional. After Huang admitted to having an affair, the board opened an independent investigation.

Later, Huang was reported to have a second affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, who reported to him. And finally, after his resignation, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that Huang also had an intimate relationship with a second Nvidia employee. However, the woman’s identity has been kept hidden.

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Therefore, Huang’s removal not only raises questions about the alleged affairs and suspected Chinese intelligence links but also brings renewed attention to whether US export restrictions on advanced Nvidia AI chips were circumvented to facilitate supplies to Chinese companies.

The chip backdrop: banned, but allegedly smuggled

Back in October 2022, Washington restricted access to Nvidia’s top AI chips to China. Nvidia responded with lower-spec China-only variants such as the A800 and H800. Since then, US policy has swung back and forth. The Trump administration banned the China-specific H20 in April 2025, then allowed it in July with a 15% revenue cut.

On Dec 8, 2025, Trump announced that Nvidia could sell its H200 chip to “approved customers” in China, with the US government taking 25% of sales. The newer Blackwell and Rubin chips were excluded. However, despite the restrictions, the advanced Nvidia AI chips were smuggled to China.

Two companies are also being linked to Alice Huang's business network: Singapore-based Megaspeed International and China's Shanghai Century Litong (Litong). Litong allegedly helped move $7.5 billion worth of Nvidia chips into China, which could be approximately 240,000 Nvidia AI chips, despite restrictions.

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A Chinese university named Northwestern Polytechnical University, with close links to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), purchased Nvidia's powerful H200 AI chips in October 2026, despite being on the US government's export blacklist. The university purchased 2 Nvidia H200 processors worth 874,700 yuan (approx. $123,000) from a supplier named Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology, which is a Chinese company.

As the case unfolds, US President Donald Trump, on November 12, also authorised a crackdown on companies suspected of illegally transferring Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China.

What’s next for Jensen Huang?

As of now, Huang has resigned from his position at Nvidia, but the board has not provided the reason behind his exit. On November 17, Nvidia is scheduled to hold its earnings call, and it will be the first with analysts since Huang’s exit. The next day, Huang is set to testify before Capitol Hill lawmakers. Now, we may have to wait until next week to confirm whether Huang will address the allegations surrounding his personal relationships, the suspected Chinese intelligence links and questions over Nvidia's restricted AI chip exports to China.