Nvidia hires law firm to investigate CEO's alleged affair with Chinese spy
The chipmaker has appointed Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to probe Jensen Huang's relationship with Alice Huang.
Nvidia has hired the US law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an independent investigation into a romantic affair between its co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, and a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy, according to BBC News.
The investigation will be led by attorney Joon Kim. The company's board said on Sunday that it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised, adding that independent directors will oversee the probe.
The woman, Alice Huang, was an executive at the Singaporean company Megaspeed. A report by The Information alleged that she and her family built a network of companies to procure Nvidia chips, potentially facilitating the shipment of $7.5 billion worth of chips to China.
The company's share price has fallen nearly to a yearly low, with $500bn wiped from its market value since Friday. Meanwhile, the Rosen Law Firm has filed a class-action lawsuit in a California federal court, alleging that Huang and Nvidia misled shareholders by withholding information regarding national security concerns.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he spoke to Huang, who claimed he had no idea the woman was a spy. Trump stated he believed the CEO and noted that the FBI is also conducting a probe.
Congressional leaders of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs have requested Huang to appear for a closed-door briefing next week. The CEO has not yet confirmed if he will attend.
