Abstract:
"Don't get fired, don't get bored, don't die."
In March this year, at the GTC media conference, Nvidia founder and CEO Huang Jenxun shared his life philosophy with reporters in a joking manner. Huang Renxun also gave an explanation of the enterprise version:"Don't be abandoned by your customers, don't let the company become boring, don't go bankrupt."
He hoped to "try to stay in this triangle as much as possible." However, a few months later, part of the joke became something Huang Renxun had to face seriously.
On November 8, local time, an unusual letter was posted on Nvidia’s official website. In the letter, Huang Jen-Hsun admitted to cheating and being unfaithful to his wife. He apologized to his wife, children and colleagues and expressed his willingness to take responsibility. At the end of the letter, he asked the outside world to respect the privacy of his family.
In this letter, he also specifically responded to the national security concerns involved in recent reports and stated that he would cooperate with the independent investigation of the board of directors. For a man who usually talks about the world in terms of chips, computing power and the future of AI, this time he must explain his private choices.
Letter from Jen-Hsun Huang to employees, picture source: NVIDIA official website
On the same day, NVIDIA's board of directors announced that the independent board committee will investigate recent reports that Huang Renxun has become a target of foreign intelligence activities with the assistance of external independent lawyers. The board said it currently has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets have been compromised and expressed its trust in Huang and his leadership team.
Although Huang Renxun did not name his relationship partner in the open letter, nor did he admit to leaking the secret, and he has not divorced his wife Lori at present, the matter has left Huang Renxun's family.
For the leaders of technology companies, the ultimate impact of extramarital affairs often depends on what they encounter: violating internal company regulations, touching shares that determine control, or getting involved in larger international geopolitical struggles.
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Jiazi Guangnian
" It was discovered that in this extramarital affair controversy, a document four days earlier than the open letter can better explain what Huang Renxun will face next.
On November 4, the three chairs of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Special Committee on China, and the Intelligence Committee jointly sent a letter requesting Huang to provide a closed briefing on Nvidia’s security measures to prevent foreign espionage and his interactions with Megaspeed executive Alice Huang (Huang Le). The letter proposed that it be held on November 18 and asked him to accept or propose other arrangements before November 11.
This letter means that, in addition to the NVIDIA board of directors investigation, the attention of the US Congress has fallen on specific exchanges and security systems.
Image source: Official website of the U.S. House of Representatives
Will Jensen Huang continue to serve as NVIDIA CEO?
In history, there have indeed been incidents of technology company CEOs resigning as CEO due to personal relationships. Huang Renxun will not be unfamiliar with this matter, because it happened to Nvidia's old rival Intel.
In June 2018, Intel announced a coaching change, turning a past personal relationship between Intel CEO Brian Krzanich into a personnel change in the company's top management.
Intel said an investigation by internal and external attorneys determined that he had a consensual relationship with an employee, in violation of its internal interactions policy that applies to all managers. Krzanich resigned as CEO and director, and Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan took over on an interim basis.
Judging from the current information, Nvidia’s board of directors has not withdrawn its trust, nor has it announced a management transition. Axios also reported that US President Trump publicly defended Huang on the evening of November 8.
From this point of view, Huang Renxun will most likely continue to serve as Nvidia CEO in the short term, but at the same time he will also undergo stricter scrutiny. However, what is more worth asking is: After retaining the CEO position, can Huang Renxun still promote business goals as he did in the past?
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Jiazi Guangnian
" Analysis shows that Huang Renxun will face three challenges next.
The first challenge is that it will be more difficult for Huang Renxun to gain space for Nvidia’s China business in Washington.
He has long advocated relaxing restrictions on AI chip sales to China. This stance is in Nvidia's business interests, but will also involve controversy over U.S. national security policy.
In January this year, at the CES 2026 media conference, when mentioning the progress of H200 chips entering China, Huang Renxun responded to global media reporters and analysts, including "Jiazi Guangnian": "(Chinese) customer demand is very large, indeed very large, very gratifying. We have started the supply chain, and H200 series products are continuously rolling off the production line. We are currently processing the final details of licensing approval, and I think we will usher in an optimal production state."
Huang Renxun CES 2026 media conference, picture source: taken by "Jiazi Light Years"
But the export license Huang Jenxun secured has not yet turned into a stable delivery channel.
Nvidia disclosed in its quarterly report ending July 26, 2026 that starting in February 2026, the U.S. government allowed the company to export H200 in small quantities to specific Chinese customers, but Chinese restrictions prevented it from selling all licensed products.
The company has completed some shipments, and related revenue accounted for less than 1% of data center revenue in the quarter.
At the same time, due to weakening demand for H200, NVIDIA accrued US$400 million in charges for excess inventory and purchase obligations in the first half of fiscal year 2027.
Even if it can be delivered, the cost is increasing. According to licensing requirements, H200 must first enter the United States for inspection before being shipped to customers. Therefore, a 25% tariff is incurred when imported into the United States. Nvidia said it has not yet passed on the tariff to customers and does not expect to pass it on in the future.
This means that Huang Jenxun needs to solve the problems of access, delivery and profit at the same time.
Nvidia admitted in the report that under the rules and geopolitical environment at the time, it was difficult for the company to launch a competitive product that was approved by both the United States and China and could be widely sold in the Chinese data center market.
The company also warned that its long-term absence from the market would leave opportunities for competitors to expand their developer and customer bases.Although these obstacles predate the exposure of the extramarital affair, they illustrate that the policy communication and business trust that Huang needs to maintain are related to a business that has not yet truly recovered its scale but has already incurred inventory and tariff costs.
If this incident further increases the difficulty of customer review or policy communication, the already unsmooth delivery process may face more uncertainty.
Trump’s personal support cannot directly eliminate Congress’ doubts. The president's attitude, congressional oversight and the company's commercial aspirations do not always move in the same direction.
So even if the investigation ultimately finds no leaks, the controversy could still affect Huang's credibility as a policy lobbyist. It doesn’t have to come in the form of an injunction, but can also take the form of longer inquiries, more difficult consensus, and companies relying less on the founder’s personal relationships on sensitive topics.
The second challenge is to maintain the trust of the board of directors during an independent investigation and accept that the boundaries of performance may change.
Nvidia’s board of directors is currently expressing trust while handing over the investigation to an independent board committee and outside independent counsel.
What the board of directors needs to find out is whether Huang Renxun’s relevant interactions have been fully disclosed, whether there is a conflict of interest, and whether business information and business decisions have been improperly affected. The answers to these questions will determine whether Huang Renxun will bear the reputational cost or further career consequences.
If the investigation does not reveal serious violations, but exposes weaknesses in disclosure or supervision, the more likely approach is to strengthen the system: sensitive customer contacts are recorded, potential conflicts of interest are reported in a timely manner, and important matters are reviewed by more people. Huang may remain in office, but he may need to go through new procedures when making certain decisions.
If the investigation uncovers substantive information security, export compliance issues, or important concealments from the board of directors, the risk of limiting authorization, suspending duties, or even changing managers will significantly increase.
Therefore, what needs to be paid attention to next is,
In addition to whether the board of directors continues to support Huang Renxun, it also includes whether the support comes with new conditions.
The third challenge is to continue to maintain decision-making efficiency in a high-growth company while responding to investigations.
Nvidia disclosed in its quarterly report as of July 26, 2026 that the company's revenue for the quarter was approximately US$96.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 106%. This means that Huang is still dealing with a rapidly expanding company as he deals with the investigation.
Image source: NVIDIA financial report
In recent years, Huang Renxun has been called the "AI leader" and "Token King". On the stage, he is like a rock star. Almost every speech and interview he gives will be widely reported and interpreted by the media.
Huang Renxun gave a speech at GTC 2026, picture source: NVIDIA
Within the company, he has served as CEO for 33 consecutive years. Stephen Witt, the author of "Huang Renxun: The Core of Nvidia", has interviewed Huang Renxun in depth many times. He told "Jiazi Light Years" that Huang Renxun has been working tirelessly with basically no vacations, and he basically has no deputy. "There are about 60 people reporting directly to him. This kind of management structure is very rare. I think only he can do this."
At the GTC media conference in March this year, Huang Renxun admitted that he was busier than before. He said that NVIDIA's current operation and project advancement speed have reached a record high. "To be honest, I feel that I am getting busier and busier, even busier than six months ago. The reason is that the feedback of work results is faster and the number of projects is growing faster."
Now, legal communication, cooperation with investigations and congressional inquiries may further occupy his time.
For Nvidia, the real test is: which matters still require Huang Renxun’s own judgment, and which ones can be delegated to other managers in a timely manner; if some responsibilities are restricted, whether technical routes, major projects, and customer communication can continue to advance.
Now, Huang has expressed his apology and the board of directors has retained its trust. Next, this trust needs to be backed up by facts and actions.
Perhaps this extramarital affair has destroyed Huang Jen-Hsun's image as a "good man", but someone who can found a world-class technology company like NVIDIA is far more complicated than the public imagines outside of the spotlight.
Stephen Witt told "Jiazi Light Years" that he can describe Huang Jen-Hsun in four words: Ferocious, Pitiless, Responsible and Goofy.
These four seemingly contradictory words exactly reflect the multi-faceted character of Huang Renxun. In his observation, this person who talks and laughs happily in front of thousands of people will also pace and rub his hands before going on stage, worried about disappointing others; he will reprimand an employee in the company cafeteria in front of everyone, and will personally retain a junior manager who wants to leave the company.These details spell out a more complex person than the stage image. His firmness in technology, investment in the company, and the mistakes he admitted this time all belong to the same Jen-Hsun Huang. Past achievements cannot answer the question at hand for him, and a letter of apology cannot summarize his life.
The person who is always worried about disappointing others needs to face the disappointment he has caused this time.
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