Jensen Huang Second Affair Claims Need Source Verification

A November 11 New York Times report alleged that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had a relationship with health-care vice president Kimberly Powell, citing five people who worked at the company. The Jensen Huang second affair story adds a workplace-governance issue to an independent board investigation already examining national security concerns.

Nvidia directors were also preparing to consider removing Huang, according to Wall Street Journal reporting described by Cointelegraph. The developments put the founder’s leadership under pressure ahead of the company’s scheduled November 17 earnings release.

📖What the November 11 Reports Allege About the Jensen Huang Second Affair
🔑The Journal Account Puts Huang's Position Before the Board
📖Powell's Reporting Line Creates a Workplace-Governance Issue
🧩The Earlier Apology Came With an Independent Investigation
🔒Alice Huang Allegations Form the National Security Background
💰Nvidia Shares Fell After Hours Ahead of Earnings
🔸Succession Speculation Centers on CFO Colette Kress
❓FAQ

What the November 11 Reports Allege About the Jensen Huang Second Affair

What Did the Times Account Say?

The Times allegation concerns a relationship between Huang and Powell, an executive who reports to him. Both are married to other people, according to BeInCrypto’s account of the November 11 coverage.

The reporting places an internal executive relationship at the center of the latest controversy. Powell oversees Nvidia’s health-care technology efforts, making the alleged relationship relevant to the company’s management structure as well as Huang’s personal conduct.

PC Gamer’s account included an allegation that Huang and Powell were seen “being affectionate” at a hotel near an Nvidia conference earlier in the year. A bystander allegedly recorded the interaction, and security personnel reportedly offered the person an unspecified arrangement in exchange for signing a nondisclosure agreement. The terms of that alleged offer were unknown.

How Did Nvidia Respond to the Inquiry?

Nvidia declined to comment to the Times, according to the same coverage. Huang ended a telephone conversation when the newspaper contacted him about the allegation.

During the Wednesday call, Huang said, “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly,” before hanging up. The exchange provided no substantive response to the allegation about Powell.

The Powell allegation followed Huang’s earlier acknowledgment of infidelity in a letter to employees. That letter preceded the November 11 account and addressed the controversy already facing the company.

The Journal Account Puts Huang’s Position Before the Board

What Action Were Directors Considering?

The Wall Street Journal said directors were preparing to remove Huang and could meet as soon as Wednesday, November 11, to determine his future, according to Cointelegraph’s account of the leadership deliberations. The Journal attributed its account to people familiar with the matter.

The potential action would concern Nvidia’s highest executive position. Huang is both CEO and a co-founder, and his leadership has been central to the chipmaker’s position in the artificial intelligence boom.

What Was the Status of the Leadership Decision?

As of the November 11 coverage, the company had announced no final decision on Huang’s position. The anticipated meeting was described as a possible step for directors to determine his future.

The distinction matters for the immediate leadership question: the Journal account described preparations for a decision. Huang’s departure, a replacement appointment and the timing of any transition remained matters for the board.

Powell’s Reporting Line Creates a Workplace-Governance Issue

Why Does the Executive Relationship Matter?

The allegation involves a senior executive who reports directly to the CEO. That reporting line gives directors a workplace issue to consider alongside the national security concerns that prompted the earlier investigation.

The Defiant described the Powell allegation as a separate governance question arising while the board inquiry was underway. Its significance comes from the positions the two executives hold within the same company.

What Would Directors Have to Consider?

The board faces questions about Huang’s continued leadership as well as the conduct described in the relationship reporting. An alleged relationship within his direct reporting structure brings his role as a manager into the controversy.

Directors had already authorized an independent inquiry into a different set of concerns. The November 11 allegations broaden the issues surrounding the CEO while the company approaches its next scheduled earnings announcement.

The Earlier Apology Came With an Independent Investigation

How Did Huang Address Employees?

On Sunday, November 8, Huang sent employees a letter acknowledging infidelity and apologizing for the harm to his family and the breach of employees’ trust. He also said he remained committed to Nvidia.

In the same communication, Huang confirmed that the board had opened an independent investigation into national security concerns raised by news coverage. He pledged to cooperate fully with the inquiry.

What Had the Board Said Before the New Allegation?

On November 8, directors expressed “confidence in Jensen and his leadership team” as they opened the inquiry. The board was therefore publicly supporting Huang’s leadership days before the Journal account described preparations to consider his removal.

SFist also quoted the board as saying it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised. Directors said their inquiry would examine all available information.

The earlier statement established the board’s position when the investigation began. The subsequent leadership deliberations described on November 11 placed Huang’s future before directors amid the additional workplace allegation.

Alice Huang Allegations Form the National Security Background

What Connection Did US Officials Describe?

The earlier controversy involved Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based data company Megaspeed. US intelligence officials believe she was a spy for Beijing, according to the coverage of the investigation.

The earlier relationship reportedly took place around two years before the November coverage. Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang, was allegedly recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to collect intelligence about AI technology from him. The two were photographed together at an event in Taipei in 2024, although when they first met remained unclear.

China denies the espionage allegation. Nvidia’s independent inquiry is examining national security concerns arising from the news coverage, and the board’s November 8 statement addressed the possibility of compromised company information.

How Does That Differ From the Powell Allegation?

Alice Huang and Kimberly Powell occupy different positions in the reporting. Alice Huang works at a company identified as a major Nvidia customer; Powell is a member of Nvidia’s own executive ranks.

The suspected intelligence connection concerns Alice Huang. The Powell allegation concerns a relationship within Nvidia’s management structure, where she reports to the CEO.

Those differences give the board distinct issues to address: the national security concerns behind its independent inquiry and the workplace-governance implications of the subsequent allegation. Huang’s employee letter acknowledged infidelity and promised cooperation with the existing investigation.

Nvidia Shares Fell After Hours Ahead of Earnings

How Did the Stock Trade on November 11?

Nvidia shares closed the regular session at $173.73, up 2.92%, before falling 9.63% to $157 in after-hours trading following the reports. Those figures were attributed to Yahoo Finance in the November 11 coverage.

The after-hours decline reversed the direction of the regular session’s gain and followed the relationship report and the prospect that directors could remove the company’s founder and CEO.

Reaction also appeared in prediction markets. Polymarket bettors assigned an 83% probability to Huang’s resignation or ouster by the end of the month and a 40% probability before the end of the week. Those prices reflected wagers on the leadership outcome while an official decision remained unannounced.

Why Does the Reaction Reach Beyond Nvidia Shareholders?

Nvidia is one of the largest stocks in the S&P 500. Its price movements therefore reach US investors through index funds and retirement accounts as well as through direct ownership of its shares.

The immediate company issue is leadership at a chipmaker central to the AI boom. The reporting placed a potential CEO transition on the agenda while Nvidia was preparing to release its third-quarter results.

The earnings date gives investors a scheduled company event to follow alongside any board announcement. It does not set a deadline for directors to complete the independent investigation or resolve Huang’s position.

Succession Speculation Centers on CFO Colette Kress

Who Has Been Named as a Possible Interim Leader?

Analysts have identified Nvidia chief financial officer Colette Kress as a possible interim leader. That possibility appeared in the coverage of the board deliberations as attention shifted toward who could run the company if directors removed Huang.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told Newsweek, “There is no succession plan.” His comment reflects the succession concern raised by the prospect of a change at the top of a company so closely associated with its founder.

Jim Cramer also warned Nvidia investors to prepare for a future without Huang as chief executive. His warning added to the public discussion of succession as directors reportedly considered the founder’s position.

What Comes Next for Nvidia’s Leadership?

The next consequential leadership step would be a board decision on Huang’s future. The Journal account said directors could meet as soon as November 11, putting the timing of any company announcement at the center of attention.

An interim appointment would require a company decision; Kress’s name entered the discussion through analysts. The independent investigation also remains part of the board’s work, with Huang having pledged his cooperation.

For Nvidia, the immediate sequence is a leadership decision under consideration, an ongoing inquiry and a scheduled earnings release. Each concerns a different responsibility of the company: choosing its executive leadership, examining the national security concerns and presenting its financial results.

FAQ

What Role Does Kimberly Powell Hold at Nvidia?

Powell is Nvidia’s vice president of health care, overseeing its health-care technology efforts. The November 11 coverage identifies her as an executive who reports to Huang.

What Does Nvidia’s Code of Conduct Say About Personal Relationships?

Nvidia’s code asks employees to avoid conflicts of interest, including those arising from personal relationships. That provision is relevant to the workplace-governance issue raised by the alleged relationship between the CEO and a direct report.

What Did Huang Say in His Sunday Letter to Employees?

Huang wrote, “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.” The November 8 letter also apologized for breaching employees’ trust.

What Concerns Is Nvidia’s Independent Board Investigation Examining?

The investigation concerns national security issues raised in news coverage about Huang. He confirmed the inquiry in his employee letter and pledged full cooperation.

When Did Jensen Huang Co-Found Nvidia?

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993. He has served as the company’s chief executive and became a central figure in its growth during the AI boom.

Which Company Employs Alice Huang?

Alice Huang is an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data company. Megaspeed is identified in the coverage as a major Nvidia customer.

When Is Nvidia Scheduled to Release Its Next Earnings?

Nvidia’s third-quarter earnings release is scheduled for November 17. The date falls after the November 11 allegations and the reporting about possible board action on Huang’s leadership.