Nvidia CEO Returns to Office Amid Ongoing Spy Affair Investigation

Jensen Huang returned to his Santa Clara, California, headquarters on Monday to lead his standard executive briefing, a move that signals an attempt to maintain normal operations during a period of intense internal scrutiny.

The 63-year-old chief executive addressed his staff in a closed-door session on Monday, acknowledging his extramarital affair and expressing his regret. According to people familiar with the meeting, Huang did not invite questions and transitioned quickly to the day's primary business agenda. He was present in the office again on Tuesday, holding meetings just one week before the company releases its quarterly earnings report. Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the CEO's schedule or the internal mood.

Huang disclosed the relationship in an email to employees on Sunday, stating that an apology cannot reverse his actions but hoping to earn back the team's trust over time. He did not identify the woman involved in the message. The company's board launched a formal investigation on Tuesday and retained the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to manage the probe. The inquiry centers on Huang's romantic relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed, who is alleged to be a Chinese spy.

Inside the firm, employees described the atmosphere as somber and expressed shock at the revelations. Longtime staff members, who previously viewed the CEO as an infallible guiding light, are now grappling with the news. The situation has complicated his standing within the company, as the AI chip giant faces questions about leadership stability while it remains a central player in the artificial intelligence sector.

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 to manufacture graphics processing units for video games, but the company is now best known for powering the hardware behind large language models and global data center expansions. His position places him at the center of the technology's development and policy discussions. He accompanied President Donald Trump on a trip to China in May and sat at the same table as Chinese President Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner in September.

The affair has drawn heightened attention to Huang's advocacy for expanding AI chip sales to China. The company's next scheduled major event is its quarterly earnings report, which is due in one week.