Nvidia board convenes to weigh CEO Jensen Huang’s future amid affair scandal

Nvidia’s board gathered this week to decide whether to remove CEO Jensen Huang after he acknowledged an extramarital affair and U.S. intelligence linked one of his partners to Chinese espionage, CNBC reported.

What decision is the board facing regarding Jensen Huang?

The directors are evaluating a possible dismissal of Huang as chief executive, a move prompted by reports of two affairs—one with a company employee and another with a woman believed by U.S. intelligence to be a Chinese spy, according to CNBC.

How did Nvidia’s stock respond to the board’s actions?

Shares slumped more than 9% in after‑hours trading after The Wall Street Journal said the board was preparing to force Huang out, and the stock had already fallen 7% earlier in the week, putting it on track for a sixth consecutive weekly decline, CNBC noted.

Who else is involved in the unfolding controversy?

The New York Times identified Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, as another romantic partner; Powell’s bio says she oversees the company’s global healthcare business, including AI‑driven medical imaging and drug‑discovery platforms. Video from March shows Huang and Powell appearing affectionate at a San Jose hotel, CNBC said. Nvidia has launched an independent probe and retained law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to examine the spying allegations. Crisis‑management firm Heller, reportedly hired by Huang last year, has not responded to CNBC’s inquiries. In a Sunday memo to staff, Huang apologized, writing, “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.”

Huang’s personal stake includes roughly 70 million Nvidia shares, while trusts co‑owned with his wife Lori hold about 800 million shares, CNBC reported. The healthcare division, though smaller than Nvidia’s AI‑focused GPU business, has been led by Powell since 2017 and has been highlighted at recent GTC events for its role in accelerating drug discovery and clinical efficiency.

The board’s deliberations come amid broader market concerns about the sustainability of the AI boom, especially after the recent U.S. midterm elections, which have heightened regulatory uncertainty for data‑center construction, CNBC added.