A powerful technology leader, whose company's chips sit at the heart of the age of artificial intelligence, has been drawn into a personal betrayal with national stakes. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted an affair and apologized to his family and company, while insisting he did not know the woman was reportedly gathering information for China. The President has publicly vouched for him as the FBI reviews the matter and Nvidia's board opens its own inquiry. What remains unsettled is less the private failing than whether any of the nation's most valuable technological secrets were ever within
Trump Backs Nvidia's Jensen Huang as FBI Probes Affair With Alleged Chinese Agent
No reason to believe is not the same as having checked.
Mark
Trump's comment is the headline, but what did he actually say about the investigation?
Mimi
He said the FBI is looking into it, and that Huang would be in good shape. He also said the FBI's interest was in terms of something else, without saying what.
Luke
And that's worth flagging. Nothing here tells us what the FBI is actually examining. Trump's characterization is the only description we have.
Mark
Huang told Trump he didn't know she was a spy. How much weight does that carry?
Mimi
Trump said he believes him. That's a personal judgment from a longtime acquaintance, not a finding.
Luke
Right. It's Huang's account relayed by Trump. It isn't corroborated by any investigation yet.
Mark
What about the claim that she worked for Beijing?
Mimi
The New York Times reported that US intelligence concluded she was gathering information for China.
Luke
Which is a newspaper report of an intelligence assessment. No official has confirmed it on the record in what we have.
Mark
Nvidia says nothing was compromised. Is that settled?
Mimi
The board says it has no reason to believe so, but it also opened an independent inquiry to examine all available information.
Luke
Exactly. No reason to believe is not the same as having verified it. The inquiry hasn't reported anything, and that's the open question.
Il Polso
- A sudden espionage allegation has jolted Washington and Silicon Valley around one of the world's most powerful tech executives.
- Huang has publicly confessed to an affair, apologized to his wife and staff, and pledged full cooperation with investigators.
- The FBI is reviewing the matter while Nvidia's independent board committee runs its own inquiry with outside legal counsel.
- Everything now hinges on whether the woman ever touched Nvidia's AI chip technology, and the answer has yet to surface.
A powerful technology leader, whose company's chips sit at the heart of the age of artificial intelligence, has been drawn into a personal betrayal with national stakes. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted an affair and apologized to his family and company, while insisting he did not know the woman was reportedly gathering information for China. The President has publicly vouched for him as the FBI reviews the matter and Nvidia's board opens its own inquiry. What remains unsettled is less the private failing than whether any of the nation's most valuable technological secrets were ever within reach.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had phoned Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang with a single pointed question: did he know his lover was suspected of spying for China? Huang, he said, answered that he had no idea she was a spy, and Trump declared that he believed him. The exchange has unsettled both the political world and the technology sector, because Nvidia designs the advanced chips that power artificial intelligence, and the affair has raised the worry that Beijing reached that technology through someone close to the company's leader.
Huang has acknowledged the relationship. In a public letter and a message to employees, he wrote, "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," apologized to his wife and company, and pledged to work to regain the trust of employees, the board and shareholders. He said he supports the investigation and will cooperate fully, adding, "I love our country and our company."
The New York Times reported that US intelligence concluded the woman was gathering information for Beijing, though no public statement from intelligence agencies has confirmed this. Trump said the FBI is looking into the matter without elaborating. Nvidia's board has opened an independent inquiry, stating it has no reason to believe secrets were compromised while it examines all available information.
The question that will decide how serious this becomes is whether the woman had any access to Nvidia's AI chip technology. That answer, more than the affair itself, will determine the weight of the concern about China.
President Donald Trump stood before reporters at a White House briefing and said he had called Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to ask him one question: did he know the woman he was having an affair with was suspected of spying for China? According to Trump, Huang told him, "I had no idea that she was a spy." Trump added, "I really believe him."
The allegations have rattled both Washington's political class and America's technology sector. Huang is one of the world's wealthiest people and a singular figure in the industry, and Nvidia designs the cutting-edge chips that power the development of artificial intelligence. The affair has raised a pointed worry: whether China has been able to reach that technology through someone close to the company's chief executive.
Huang has acknowledged the affair. In an open letter posted on Nvidia's website, and in a message to employees, he apologized to his wife and to the company. "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he wrote. He said he had also failed in his responsibilities to Nvidia's employees, board and shareholders, and pledged to take full responsibility and work to regain their trust.
The New York Times reported that US intelligence determined the woman was gathering information for Beijing. The reporting is the basis for the espionage claim, and the material available here does not include a public statement from US intelligence agencies confirming it.
Trump said the FBI is looking into the matter, though he described it as being "in terms of something else." He did not elaborate. He said he did not think Huang had cause for concern and predicted, "I think that he'll be in good shape." Trump said he was amazed when he first heard the news, calling Huang a very high-quality person he has known for a long time. He noted that Nvidia, by value, is probably one of the largest companies in the world, and said Huang built it "with a chip."
Huang said in his letter that he supports the investigation and will cooperate fully. "I love our country and our company," he wrote. "I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America's national security."
Nvidia's board has opened its own independent inquiry. It is overseen by a committee of independent directors and supported by external legal counsel, and Huang has agreed to cooperate. The company said the board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but that the inquiry will examine all available information. It stressed that protecting US national and economic security remains a priority.
What to watch is whether the FBI's review or the board's inquiry finds that the woman had any access to Nvidia's AI chip technology. That question, more than the affair itself, is what drives the concern about China.
Citazioni salienti
He said, 'I had no idea that she was a spy and I really believe him.'— President Donald Trump, recounting his conversation with Huang
There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.— Jensen Huang, in a message to employees
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