A powerful president, a chipmaker whose processors now underpin much of the world's artificial intelligence, and a private affair that may have crossed into national security: these threads have converged in a single week of quiet calls and public exits. Where loyalty and warning collided, the presidency chose loyalty, and the consequences are now unfolding in the open. What the episode ultimately reveals about trust at the summit of power, and about the fragility of the technologies that shape our age, is a question the record has not yet finished answering.
Trump Urged Nvidia's Huang to Keep Fighting for His Job Hours Before He Stepped Down
He kept backing him to the end
Mark
Why does a phone call on Tuesday matter so much here?
Mimi
Because of the timing. It came just before Huang left Nvidia, and it shows the president urging him to stay and fight even as the spy scandal was intensifying.
Mark
And that fits something earlier?
Mimi
Yes. The president had been warned twice, late last year and in the spring, about Huang's relationship with a Chinese citizen known as Alice Huang. He took no action, and he brought Huang to China in May.
Luke
Let me slow down. Who says the call happened?
Mimi
Two people briefed on the conversation. Neither Trump nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
Luke
So the call is attributed, not confirmed on the record. Same with the warnings?
Mimi
Those come from the Times's own earlier reporting, which the article cites but doesn't detail here.
Mark
What about the intelligence conclusion?
Luke
It's described as the agencies' conclusion that she was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security. The piece doesn't show the evidence, and Huang's representative offered no comment.
Mark
What's public and on the record?
Mimi
Nvidia's announcement that Huang was replaced, and Trump's Thursday post calling him a "legend."
Luke
And still unknown is what the investigation has found and what the White House will say.
El Pulso
- A phone call on Tuesday reportedly urged a chief executive to keep fighting for his job, and within two days the company had announced his departure.
- Intelligence warnings about a suspected Chinese agent reached the president twice, yet no action followed and the chief executive travelled with him to China.
- Nvidia must now steer a leadership transition at the heart of the global AI chip supply, while the company's own internal relationships come under scrutiny.
- The White House has not commented on the call or the warnings, leaving the story to be shaped by future disclosures and the spy investigation's next steps.
A powerful president, a chipmaker whose processors now underpin much of the world's artificial intelligence, and a private affair that may have crossed into national security: these threads have converged in a single week of quiet calls and public exits. Where loyalty and warning collided, the presidency chose loyalty, and the consequences are now unfolding in the open. What the episode ultimately reveals about trust at the summit of power, and about the fragility of the technologies that shape our age, is a question the record has not yet finished answering.
On Tuesday, President Trump phoned Jensen Huang, the founder who built Nvidia into the world's leading supplier of advanced AI chips. According to two people briefed on the conversation, the president told him to keep fighting for his job. By Thursday, Nvidia had announced that Huang was out as chief executive.
The call fits a longer pattern. Huang had become a close ally of the president and an influential voice on artificial intelligence, and Mr. Trump had repeatedly defended him, even after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Huang was involved with a Chinese citizen believed to have been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security. Nvidia's announcement followed revelations of that relationship and another with one of Huang's own employees.
The Times has reported that the president was warned about the relationship at least twice, late last year and again in the spring, and took no action either time. In May, he took Huang with him on a trip to China. In recent days he has spoken warmly of Huang in public, calling him a "legend" in a social media post on Thursday.
Neither Huang's representatives nor the White House have commented on the Tuesday call. What comes next is open: whether the administration will address the call and the earlier warnings on the record, what the spy investigation reveals, and how Nvidia's new leadership will steer a company so central to the AI chip supply.
On Tuesday, President Trump picked up the phone and called Jensen Huang. According to two people briefed on the conversation, his message was that Huang should keep fighting for his job. By Thursday, Nvidia had announced that Huang was out as chief executive.
The call fits a pattern. Huang had become a high-profile ally of the president and an influential adviser on artificial intelligence, and Mr. Trump had repeatedly defended and protected him. He kept doing so to the end, even after U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that Huang was having an affair with a woman believed to be a Chinese spy.
Nvidia's announcement said Huang, who built the company into the world's leading supplier of advanced A.I. chips, had been replaced as chief executive. The company's move followed revelations of two relationships: the one with the woman suspected of being a spy, and another with one of his own employees.
The woman is a Chinese citizen known as Alice Huang. According to earlier reporting by The New York Times, intelligence agencies concluded that she had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security.
The Times has also reported that Mr. Trump was warned about the relationship at least twice. The first warning came late last year, and the second in the spring. He took no action either time. In May, he brought Huang along with him on a trip to China.
In recent days, the president has spoken about Huang in public in warm terms, expressing sympathy for him. In a social media post on Thursday, he called Huang a "legend."
A representative for Huang did not provide a comment for this article. Neither Mr. Trump nor the White House responded to requests for comment about the Tuesday call.
What remains to be seen is whether the White House will address the call or the earlier warnings on the record, what more emerges about the spy investigation, and how the change at the top of Nvidia affects a company so central to the supply of A.I. chips.
Citas Notables
Trump called Huang a "legend" in a social media post on Thursday.— President Trump, via social media
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