Jensen Huang Misled Nvidia's Top Lawyer on Alice Huang Ties, Calling Them Routine Business, Sources Say

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang misled several of the company's top leaders, including its general counsel, about the nature of his relationship with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, according to a Reuters report. On at least two occasions before the affair became public, he described their dealings as appropriate.

Reuters cited two people familiar with the matter and internal Nvidia correspondence it reviewed. The report adds to the pressure on Huang, who resigned Thursday after 33 years at the helm of the chipmaker he co-founded.

'Routine' business dealings

According to the report, Huang was asked about his ties to Alice Huang and Megaspeed International, the Singapore-based Nvidia customer where she was a top executive, at two points: in the fall of 2025 and again in October 2026. Both times, press inquiries had drawn some Nvidia leaders' attention to the relationship, and both times Huang told them his interactions were appropriate, the people said.

In two separate messages in October, Huang told Nvidia leaders, including general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld, that the interactions reflected standard business dealings with customers, according to the report. In other messages, he affirmed the routine nature of his dealings with Megaspeed.

Reuters said it reviewed only the October messages, not the exchanges from 2025.

The revelation raises questions about what Nvidia's leadership knew and when, and whether the company's own lawyers were given an accurate picture as scrutiny of Huang's ties to Megaspeed grew.

Weighed suing The New York Times

Huang also discussed taking legal action against The New York Times after it published an article in October 2025 that drew attention to his public meetings with Alice Huang, the people said.

That article prompted Huang to communicate with some Nvidia leaders in 2025 about their interactions, which he did not describe as an affair, the people said.

Neither Huang nor Nvidia sued. A Times spokesperson said the paper "received no legal demand."

It is unclear when the relationship became intimate. Photos posted online and verified by Reuters show the two together in the United States, China and elsewhere as far back as December 2023.

Earlier denial on U.S. suspicions

In an interview with Bloomberg published Oct. 29, Huang said the U.S. government had not told him about its suspicions regarding Alice Huang, according to the Reuters report.

U.S. authorities have been investigating whether Alice Huang was spying for China. Beijing has denied she is a spy, and Reuters said it had not independently verified whether she worked for the Chinese government. Attorney General Todd Blanche said this week that the Justice Department had reached no conclusion on the matter.

Jensen Huang and Alice Huang share a last name but are not related. Alice Huang has not publicly commented, and calls and emails to contact details listed for her went unanswered.

No comment from Nvidia or Huang

An Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment, as did a representative for Huang. Teter and Wagonfeld did not respond to requests for comment.

Huang publicly admitted the affair in a message to employees on Nov. 8.

"I owe my family and all of you an apology," he wrote. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."

That statement did not name Alice Huang.

Board probe under way

The new report adds to the questions facing Nvidia's board, which is already investigating Huang's conduct.

On Nov. 10, the board's independent members said they had hired the Wall Street law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an independent investigation. The move came after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported on Huang's relationship with Alice Huang and U.S. suspicions that she was spying for China. The inquiry covers both the relationship and national security concerns.

Two days later, Nvidia announced Huang's resignation, effective immediately, without giving a reason. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress was named interim CEO, and director Harvey C. Jones became the company's first board chair.

More relationships reported

The scandal widened in the days before Huang stepped down. The New York Times reported that Huang also had an extramarital relationship with an Nvidia employee. Reuters then reported Thursday that he had another intimate relationship with a different Nvidia employee. Huang has not publicly confirmed either report.

The FBI is investigating Alice Huang's alleged links to Chinese intelligence. Lawmakers are examining whether advanced Nvidia chips reached Chinese companies through Megaspeed despite U.S. export controls. Singapore said this week that Alice Huang left the country in February and has been barred from re-entering after an investigation into possible offenses.

Questions over governance

The report that Huang gave inaccurate accounts to Nvidia's general counsel could sharpen scrutiny of the company's governance and its oversight of a founder who held near-total control over its strategy for more than three decades.

Corporate governance experts say executives who mislead their companies' legal departments about relationships with business partners can expose the company to legal, regulatory and reputational risk, especially when the partner is under government investigation.

Nvidia reports quarterly results on Tuesday, Nov. 17, its first earnings release under Kress as interim CEO. Investors are likely to press for details on the board investigation and on how the company is handling the fallout.

Nvidia shares have fallen more than 20% over the past month as the scandal unfolded.