Trump says FBI is probing Nvidia CEO's alleged affair with Chinese agent
President Trump said the FBI is investigating Jensen Huang's relationship with a person alleged to be a Chinese intelligence operative, while Nvidia launched its own inquiry.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the FBI is looking into Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's affair with a person he described as an alleged Chinese government agent, but added that he believes Huang faces no immediate threat. "I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else, and I think that he'll be in good shape," Trump said at a White House briefing.
Huang confirmed in an open letter posted on Nvidia's website that he had been intimate with a business executive, apologising to his wife and to the company, but did not identify the individual. Nvidia announced it is conducting an independent investigation into whether Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort.
The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence believes the woman was gathering information for Beijing. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the allegation, calling it "unsubstantiated" and a smear campaign.
Shares of Nvidia fell about 5% in pre-market trading on Monday, adding to an 11% decline since the story first emerged. Analysts said the key issue is whether any confidential or strategically sensitive information was compromised, noting that evidence, not speculation, will determine the outcome.
The matter comes as Trump prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC summit in Shenzhen, though he said he was not certain whether the topic would be raised. Huang has previously lobbied Washington for looser export restrictions on Nvidia chips, receiving approval from the Trump administration for certain models.
The investigation raises broader concerns about national-security implications for the U.S. tech sector and potential congressional scrutiny of Nvidia’s operations.