Reports suggest that the board of directors at Nvidia is contemplating the removal of CEO Jensen Huang, with the Trump administration aware of these plans. The board has been working with an external firm to identify potential successors and is considering appointing an interim chief while searching for a permanent replacement. This development follows allegations of two extramarital relationships involving Huang, one of which involved a businesswoman suspected by US intelligence officials of having links to Chinese intelligence services.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Nvidia's board is set to meet as early as Thursday to discuss Huang's future at the company. One of these relationships was with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reports directly to him. This relationship had not been previously reported, according to The New York Times, which cited five people who worked at the company.
The reported relationship has also raised questions about Nvidia's workplace policies. Nvidia's code of conduct asks employees to "avoid situations where our actions create conflict", including "personal relationships". The company also states that it "promptly investigates reports of misconduct", The New York Times reported.
The second relationship, involving Huang and Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman associated with Singapore-based data company Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer, has been acknowledged by Huang in a letter to Nvidia employees. US intelligence officials had identified her as an alleged Chinese intelligence asset. Following this acknowledgement, Nvidia's board reportedly launched an investigation into the matter, led by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, according to The New York Times.
The board is also considering Huang's position in light of these revelations involving both relationships and the allegations concerning a possible connection to Chinese intelligence. Jensen Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has transformed the company into a leading supplier of artificial intelligence chips, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the global AI industry.