Nvidia Shares Slide as Board Investigates CEO Jensen Huang’s Affair With Alleged Chinese Spy

Nvidia shares fell roughly 5% on November 9, 2026, after the chipmaker’s board announced an investigation into CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with a woman believed by intelligence officials to be a Chinese spy, Yahoo Finance reported.

The stock dropped 5.33% to close down $9.95 at $176.69 during Monday market trading, according to Yahoo Finance figures. The drop follows weekend disclosures surrounding the 63-year-old Taiwan-born executive and an extramarital affair.

On November 8, Jensen Huang told Nvidia employees he was deeply sorry for being unfaithful to his wife, Dawn reported. The Economist noted the confession struck the company on November 8, placing the 33-year reign of its chief executive under sudden review.

The woman at the center of the probe is Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese citizen recruited by Beijing to collect intelligence on the Nvidia boss, according to The New York Times as cited by Dawn.

Despite their shared surname, she has no relation to the Nvidia CEO. Public records show she previously worked at HSBC Bank and as a reporter for Chinese media outlets CCTV and Hunan TV, Dawn reported.

Photos from 2024 and 2025 place the pair together at industry events, including an overseas tech expo and a dinner in Taiwan, according to Dawn. Alice Huang served as a top figure at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center company described on its website as a core business partner for Nvidia’s Asia-Pacific cloud computing operations, Dawn noted.

Megaspeed has been under investigation by Singapore authorities who questioned Alice Huang in 2025, and by the United States government since 2024 over potential unauthorized chip transfers to China, Dawn reported. In December 2025, Megaspeed stated that Bloomberg reporting regarding illegal chip transfers contained misleading information.

In response to the developments, Nvidia’s board of directors issued a statement announcing an independent investigation overseen by a committee of independent directors with outside counsel assistance. The board stated it prioritizes U.S. national and economic security, adding that it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. Jensen Huang fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it, according to the board.

Wall Street analysts immediately pointed to heightened key-person risk for the world’s leading artificial intelligence chipmaker. Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives wrote on Monday morning that Jensen is the core DNA of Nvidia, noting that its AI success and ambitions are heavily tied to him staying on as CEO, Yahoo Finance reported.

Market damage remained largely contained to Nvidia across the broader semiconductor sector on Monday. Rival Advanced Micro Devices shares bounced 11% following an Oppenheimer upgrade to Buy, while Broadcom shares rose 8% and Intel edged up 3%, Yahoo Finance reported. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company shares rose nearly 4%, ASML gained 6%, and Micron Technology rose more than 6%, according to Yahoo Finance market data.

Earlier coverage: Nvidia Launches Investigation Into CEO Jensen Huang Following Alleged Chinese Spy Affair