Artificial Intelligence

Nvidia's Board Meets on Jensen Huang's Future and Works With a Search Firm on Possible Successors, Reports Say

The Wall Street Journal reported that the board is preparing to oust Huang, and Bloomberg said directors have worked with an outside firm to identify replacements and are weighing a temporary chief. Earlier, The New York Times reported a relationship between Huang and an executive who reports to him. No decision had been announced as of Wednesday evening.

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Nvidia's Board Meets on Jensen Huang's Future and Works With a Search Firm on Possible Successors, Reports Say
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Nvidia's board was meeting Wednesday to decide whether to oust CEO Jensen Huang, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, after The Wall Street Journal reported that directors were preparing to remove him. In a post on X, the Journal wrote: "Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang after he had two extramarital affairs, including one with a suspected Chinese spy."

The board has been working with an outside firm to identify potential replacements and is weighing naming a temporary chief while it searches for a permanent one, Bloomberg News reported, citing a person familiar with the situation. CBS News, citing two sources, reported that the board is preparing to oust Huang soon and that the Trump administration is aware of the matter.

Earlier Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Huang had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of health care, who reports to him, citing five people who worked at the company.

Nvidia did not immediately respond to Reuters. As of about 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, Nvidia had announced no decision or interim CEO, and its newsroom showed nothing newer than Tuesday. DailyMech has not read the Journal's or the Times's articles.

At a glance

Item Detail Source/status
Ouster report Board preparing to oust Huang WSJ (not read), via its X post and Reuters; CBS News
Board meeting Meeting Wednesday to decide Huang's future Reuters, citing a source
Successor search Outside firm identifying candidates; temporary chief considered Bloomberg, citing a person familiar
Times report Relationship with Powell, who reports to Huang NYT (not read), via CNBC, New York Post
Existing probe Independent directors retained Joon H. Kim and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Nvidia
Market reaction Shares down about 8% to more than 9% after hours Reuters; CNBC
Decision None announced as of about 5:30 p.m. PT Nvidia newsroom

What the Times reported

According to the Times's reporting, relayed by the New York Post, Huang, 63, and Powell, 48, are both married to other people, and the relationship has been discussed inside Nvidia. Two of the people said the pair were captured on video being affectionate at a San Jose hotel during an Nvidia conference in March; the Times said it has not seen the video, according to G1 and Nettavisen.

The Times noted that Nvidia's code of conduct tells employees to "avoid situations where our actions create conflict" including "personal relationships," the Post reported.

Nvidia declined to provide a statement to the Times, Business Insider reported, and Powell did not immediately respond, according to G1 and Nettavisen. Powell joined Nvidia in 2008, CNBC reported.

An investigation already underway

On Sunday, Huang told employees in an email that Nvidia published: "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." He also wrote: "I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence."

The same day, the board said it was opening an independent investigation "in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort." It said it had "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised" and that it "has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team." On Tuesday, the independent directors said they had retained former acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

That matter concerns Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence officials believe is a spy for China's Ministry of State Security, the Times has reported, according to CNBC. Separately, Axios reported, citing sources, that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the Commerce Department's failure to add Megaspeed, the Nvidia customer where Alice Huang worked, to its entity list. Commerce called the account false.

Nvidia shares fell about 8% in after-hours trading Wednesday, Reuters reported; CNBC put the drop at more than 9%.

What to watch

What the board decides, whether it names an interim CEO, any statement from Nvidia, Huang or Powell, and how the shares open Thursday.

How we reported this

DailyMech could not read the Journal or Times articles. It took the Journal's report from the Journal's post on X and from Reuters' account; read Bloomberg's successor-search report only in part, and Reuters' board-meeting report, CBS News and Axios in full; and confirmed the Times article's headline and link through a post by Times reporter Ryan Mac. The Times's details come from CNBC, the New York Post and Business Insider, read in full, and from G1 and Nettavisen accounts read in search excerpts. Board statements and Huang's email were read on Nvidia's newsroom. DailyMech contacted no one.

Published and fact-checked November 11, 2026.

Sources

DailyMech used AI tools to help research and draft this article; it was fact-checked by our editors.

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