Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Engaged Crisis PR Firm Heller Amid Personal and Business Controversies
Jensen Huang hired the crisis communications firm Heller in October 2025, shortly before his relationship with a woman identified by U.S. intelligence as a Chinese spy became public, prompting an independent board investigation.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang began working with crisis communications firm Heller in October 2025, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement. Heller, founded by Risa Heller, is known for advising high-profile individuals facing personal scandals, including former congressman Anthony Weiner, chef Mario Batali and writer Jeffrey Toobin.
Sources said the firm was initially engaged for matters related to Huang’s personal life and his family’s philanthropic activities, and that Heller’s consultants communicated regularly with Huang and his daughter Madison, Nvidia’s product marketing director. It is unclear whether the early work involved Huang’s later-disclosed affair.
In 2024, Huang was seen publicly with a woman identified as Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based chip buyer Megaspeed. Megaspeed, which split from a Chinese gaming and cloud-computing firm in 2023, later became a major purchaser of Nvidia chips. A New York Times report in early October 2025 linked Huang’s dealings with Megaspeed and his connection to Alice to a U.S. Commerce Department investigation into possible evasion of export controls.
Following the report, Nvidia’s internal communications were instructed to route any press inquiries about Huang, personal or professional, through Heller. When contacted, a Heller representative referred the inquiry to Nvidia, which did not immediately comment.
U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that Alice Huang is a spy for the Chinese government. Nvidia initially described Huang’s interactions with her as routine business, but Huang later acknowledged a romantic relationship and apologized to staff, stating, "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."
The board of directors announced an independent investigation into Huang’s activities, adding that it sees no evidence that national security or confidential Nvidia information was compromised. Prior to founding Heller, Risa Heller worked for former Democratic congresswoman Jane Harman and former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, while Nvidia’s head of public policy communications, John Rizzo, also previously served under Schumer.