In brief

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted an extramarital affair with a woman U.S. officials believe had ties to Chinese intelligence.
• The FBI is reviewing the matter, and Nvidia's board has opened an independent investigation.
• Nvidia shares fell about 4.3 percent on November 9, when the company's market value was about $4.3 trillion.

Huang's admission and the company's response

Huang said in a letter to employees on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife, saying the conduct had hurt her and their children and that he offered no excuse for it (Роман с главой Nvidia и подозрения в шпионаже в пользу Китая. Кто такая Элис Хуанг – Zerkalo) (Слабке місце технологій США – ліжко: чому роман глави Nvidia з китаянкою перетворився на справу нацбезпеки – Espreso). Nvidia's board opened an independent investigation, and lawmakers in Congress have called for answers (Трамп объявил, что ФБР проверяет главу Nvidia Дженсена Хуанга, признавшего роман с предполагаемой китайской шпионкой – The Insider). The company has said it has no reason to believe that its confidential information or U.S. national security was harmed (Трамп заявив, що ФБР розслідує роман директора Nvidia з імовірною китайською шпигункою – Українська правда) (Трамп заявил, что ФБР расследует роман главы Nvidia с предполагаемой китайской шпионкой – knews.kg).

The woman and the allegations

The woman, Alice Huang, was a senior executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore company that was a customer of Nvidia. Reporting by The New York Times said U.S. officials concluded she was linked to China's intelligence service, and the Financial Times reported that the Ministry of State Security had recruited her (ФБР проверяет главу NVIDIA из-за его романа – kursiv.media). Neither she nor Huang has been charged, and the allegations rest on reporting from unnamed sources. Alice Huang and Jensen Huang are not related.

Trump's comments

Trump said he spoke with Huang on Monday and that Huang told him he had no idea the woman was a spy. "I believe him," Trump said, adding that the FBI was examining the issue in connection with something else («Он не знал, что она была шпионкой, и я ему верю». Трамп — о романе главе Nvidia Дженсена Хуанга с китаянкой, которую подозревают в шпионаже – Meduza) («Он не знал, что она шпионка». Трамп сообщил, что ФБР расследует роман главы Nvidia с предполагаемой ... – bbc.com). Trump also said a classified memo mentioning the relationship had reached him in May, but that it had not made a strong impression.

Beijing's position

China's foreign ministry called the accusations groundless and aimed at defaming the country.

Market impact

Elon Musk publicly defended Huang, calling him essential to U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence.

Read also

• Chinese Spy Allegations Involve Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Megaspeed Executive