PHOTO: REUTERS
Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had a third affair with another employee, sources say
· The Straits Times- Jensen Huang, former Nvidia CEO, resigned after reports of affairs with two employees, including Alice Huang and Kimberly Powell, according to Reuters sources.
- Reuters says a second relationship was revealed, adding pressure on Huang and raising questions about possible foreign intelligence targeting.
- Nvidia named finance chief Colette Kress interim CEO and started a search for a permanent replacement; shares fell 5.5% on Nov 12.
SAN FRANCISCO – Ousted Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang had an intimate relationship with a second employee, according to two people familiar with the matter, Reuters has learnt.
The revelation follows two other extramarital affairs that led to his resignation on Nov 12. The two women are Alice Huang, whom US intelligence suspects of being a Chinese spy, and Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice-president of healthcare.
Reuters is not naming the second employee. Attempts to reach the woman were not successful.
Nvidia declined to comment. Powell, Jensen Huang and a representative for Nvidia’s board did not reply to requests for comment. Alice Huang could not be reached for comment.
Jensen Huang admitted to an affair in a Nov 8 statement following the reports of his relationship with Alice Huang, without referring to her by name.
The former Nvidia chief executive officer’s decision to resign from the company could disrupt the AI industry that he helped shape. Nvidia has used its financial strength to help create an industry around AI through complex financial arrangements that ease the purchase of the company’s chips. It has backed cloud computing companies and AI labs in order to do so.
Pressure on Jensen Huang, who is 63 and married, to resign mounted after reports of his affair with Alice Huang.
Nvidia’s board has appointed finance chief Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer while it conducts a search to replace Jensen Huang. The board is considering internal and external candidates for the job.
Earlier in November, Nvidia’s board launched a probe, led by independent directors with outside legal counsel, into whether Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. It also expressed confidence in him at the time.
Shares fell 5.5% on Nov 12 in active trading. The stock has shed more than 30% of its value since its early October peak. REUTERS