Nvidia Board Votes to Remove Jensen Huang as CEO

Nvidia's board of directors confirmed on Thursday that Jensen Huang has stepped down as chief executive officer, effective immediately. The decision marks the end of his leadership role following a rapid escalation of scrutiny over his personal and professional ties to a Singapore-based data center firm.

The central figure in the controversy is Alice Huang, known professionally as Huang Le. She served as the managing director of Megaspeed, a company that purchased billions of dollars in Nvidia hardware. Although the two men share a surname, they are not related. Megaspeed stated on Thursday that it has complied with all applicable U.S. laws. The board noted that the couple had socialized in public for two years, drawing attention from investors who questioned their close relationship as early as May 2024.

Huang Le's business background traces back to her role as deputy general manager at Shanghai Hexi Investment Management in 2015. She later controlled Megaspeed, which was renamed from 7Road International in March 2023. By October of that year, Nvidia had designated her firm a preferred cloud partner. Filings reviewed by Reuters show that Megaspeed's assets grew from $33 million to $3 billion by the end of 2024. Shipment records suggest a Malaysian subsidiary imported approximately $4 billion in products containing Nvidia chips between December 2024 and early 2026.

The intersection of business and politics intensified in early 2025. Huang met President Trump at the White House on January 31, 2025. That same year, Singapore opened an investigation into Megaspeed regarding server purchases. In May 2025, the couple was filmed dining in Taipei. By July 2025, Nvidia received approval to sell its H20 chips to China, a policy shift that occurred the same month the company became the first public firm to reach a $4 trillion market valuation.

Challenges mounted for the associates involved in 2026. Chinese police detained Kang Wei, the husband of Alice Huang, in February. Singapore barred Alice Huang from re-entering the country after she minimized her role at Megaspeed. In May 2026, Jensen Huang joined President Trump on a two-day trip to Beijing. The New York Times reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had briefed the president on the counterintelligence risks posed by the relationship before the trip. Huang continued to attend high-profile events, including the September 24 state dinner for President Xi Jinping and a September 29 White House event on voluntary AI commitments.

The crisis came to a head in late October. On November 8, Huang sent a letter to Nvidia employees acknowledging the affair. The board simultaneously launched an independent investigation after reports emerged that the CEO was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The New York Times reported that U.S. surveillance indicated Alice Huang was transmitting information directly to Beijing.

President Trump addressed the situation at an impromptu White House press conference on November 9. He said Huang had told him he was unaware of the woman's links to Chinese intelligence services. Trump described Huang as an "honorable man" who is "definitely suffering." When asked when he first learned of the spy allegations, Trump said "not too long ago" and added that it "didn't make much of an impact on me."

Additional details emerged on November 11, when The New York Times reported that Huang had also maintained a relationship with Kimberly Powell, a subordinate at Nvidia. The board announced his resignation the following day, formalizing the exit that had been in motion for weeks.

The company has not yet announced a permanent successor to Huang. The independent investigation remains active, and the board is reviewing the financial transactions between Nvidia and Megaspeed. Shareholders will review the findings at the next scheduled quarterly meeting.