US President Donald Trump has stated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang following revelations regarding his extramarital relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence services.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump mentioned that he spoke with Huang on the phone earlier in the day. According to the president, Huang maintained that he had no knowledge of the woman’s alleged espionage background. “I asked him that question, ‘Did you have any idea she was a spy?’ He said ‘I had no idea she was a spy’ and I really believe him,” Trump told reporters, adding that he considers Huang an honorable man and expects him to remain in good shape following the inquiries.
The controversy centers on Alice Huang, the managing director of Singaporean company Megaspeed, who is unrelated to the Nvidia chief. US intelligence officials reportedly suspect her of being an operative for Beijing’s Ministry of State Security. A New York Times report noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo warning top Washington officials last spring about the close relationship between the Nvidia boss and the alleged intelligence asset. Intelligence agencies further suspect that Alice Huang pushed Jensen Huang to lobby the US government for relaxed semiconductor export controls to China.
Beijing has strongly rejected the allegations. The Chinese foreign ministry dismissed the claims as entirely groundless, speculative, and intended to smear China.
Nvidia’s board of directors announced it had commissioned an independent investigation overseen by outside counsel to examine all available information. The company stated it has no reason to believe that corporate secrets or US national security were compromised. In an email to employees, Huang admitted to the affair, apologized to his family, and stated he would cooperate fully with the internal probe while remaining committed to protecting Nvidia and US national security.
The fallout has generated legal and political hurdles for the chip manufacturing giant. Nvidia and Huang were hit with a proposed class-action lawsuit in California on Monday, with shareholders accusing the firm of securities fraud for allegedly concealing the CEO’s ties to the suspected spy and misleading the media. Additionally, the chairmen of several congressional committees requested Huang appear for a joint closed-door briefing next week regarding the company’s security protocols against foreign adversary espionage.
Financial markets reacted sharply to the news. During Monday’s trading session, Nvidia’s share price fell by more than 4%, knocking roughly $250bn off the company’s market valuation.
Despite the scrutiny, prominent figures in Silicon Valley and finance rallied behind the executive. Tech billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Shaun Maguire defended Huang, arguing that while the affair was a personal lapse in judgment, his leadership remains vital to American leadership in artificial intelligence. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman also expressed public support, emphasizing that human errors should not automatically be conflated with a compromise to national security.
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