Nvidia board opens independent probe into CEO Jensen Huang as he apologises to staff

Nvidia’s board has opened an independent investigation into chief executive Jensen Huang after reports that the 63-year-old founder was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The company announced it on Sunday, November 8, from its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. Huang separately told employees in an email that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologised to his family and colleagues.

The company, valued at about $4.5 trillion and at the centre of the AI chip business, said the board “has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised”. It added that it “has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team”.

What the company has said

The board’s statement is short. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the inquiry, which “will examine all available information”. The board says it “prioritizes U.S. national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders”, and that Huang “fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it”. It promised further updates “as appropriate”.

The investigation was prompted, the statement says, by “recent reporting” that Huang had been “the target of a foreign intelligence effort”. That reporting, which began in late October, has centred on his relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data-centre company. The two are not related. A Nvidia spokesperson said the news “will not slow NVIDIA” and that Huang remains committed to leading the company “without interruption”.

Huang’s own words

In the email, which Nvidia published on its newsroom, Huang wrote: “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.” He said he took “full responsibility” and accepted “the criticism that comes with it”. He told colleagues, the board, partners and shareholders that they “deserve better” from him and that he had “fallen short of that responsibility”.

On the security question he was brief. “NVIDIA’s Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation. I support the investigation and will cooperate fully,” he wrote. “I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American.”

Neither Nvidia nor Huang has said what, if anything, was passed to anyone. US officials are reported to believe that Alice Huang worked for Beijing. China has previously rejected such claims as “groundless speculation”, and Alice Huang did not respond to requests for comment.

How we got here

From the first reports to the board's probe

1. Late October 2026Reports say US intelligence believed Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive, was working for China and was in contact with Jensen Huang.
2. November 5Three House chairmen write to Huang asking for a closed-door briefing; the letter is made public.
3. November 8Nvidia's board announces an independent investigation; Huang emails staff to apologise.
4. November 11Deadline for Huang to accept the committees' invitation or offer other dates.
5. November 18Briefing date requested by the House committees.

On Thursday, November 5, the chairmen of three House committees, John Moolenaar (Select Committee on China), Brian Mast (Foreign Affairs) and Rick Crawford (Intelligence), wrote to Huang. They asked for a joint closed-door briefing on his interactions with Alice Huang and on “the company’s security protocols against foreign adversary espionage”. The committees’ own release describes her as “a publicly reported Chinese intelligence asset”.

“Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC’s access to sensitive U.S. technology and information,” the chairmen wrote. “It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk.”

Reaction

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in Florida on Sunday, said he had not spoken to Huang since the investigation was announced. “I just know he’s a fine person, but you never know what is going on,” he said. Asked whether he wished he had acted on intelligence he was briefed on last year, Trump said: “No, I don’t think so. I think he’s an honourable guy.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked the same day, declined to comment.

On the market side, the technology analyst Dan Ives called the episode “a black eye moment” that would bring “multiple congressional inquiries at a minimum” and “an overhang on the stock”. He said investors will ask whether Huang stays on as chief executive.

Why it matters

Nvidia sits at the centre of the AI build-out and of the US-China contest over technology. Washington has restricted where its most advanced processors can be sold, and any suggestion that sensitive information leaked is likely to harden the debate in Congress over those controls. Indian companies and data-centre builders buy AI hardware in the same global market, so a prolonged fight over export rules or a leadership change at the leading supplier would feed into supply and pricing there too.

The stock’s first reaction comes when US markets open on Monday, November 9, after the news broke on a weekend. Chip shares were already under pressure after last week’s Wall Street sell-off.

What happens next

Huang has until November 11 to accept the House committees’ invitation or propose other dates; the briefing they asked for is set for November 18. The independent committee of directors has given no timetable and says it will update shareholders as appropriate.