Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has withdrawn from scheduled public appearances as the company investigates reports that he was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
ABC News reported on November 9 that Huang was no longer expected to attend a CEO forum hosted by artificial intelligence company Anthropic, citing a source familiar with the matter. ElevenLabs separately confirmed to the network that he had dropped out of a speaking engagement scheduled for this week. The report did not establish the reasons for either withdrawal.
The developments followed Nvidia's November 8 announcement that independent directors, assisted by outside legal counsel, would investigate the intelligence allegations. The board said it currently had no reason to believe that US national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised and expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team.
The inquiry follows reporting about Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman associated with Singapore-based company Megaspeed. According to The New York Times, US authorities determined that she was gathering information for Beijing. Reuters said it could not independently verify those claims. The two Huangs are unrelated.
China has denied the espionage allegations. ABC News said Alice Huang and Megaspeed did not respond to its requests for comment following the original report.
In a November 8 message published on Nvidia's website, Huang admitted marital infidelity and apologised to his family and colleagues.
"I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did," he wrote.
His statement did not identify the other person involved. Huang pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation and said he remained committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting US national security.
Nvidia shares closed at US$178.67 on November 9, down more than 4% in the first trading session following the investigation's announcement. Huang remains chief executive while the review proceeds.
