The man who reportedly introduced Jensen Huang to the woman at the center of his Nvidia scandal had a connection of his own to her. He was her husband. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese businessman Kang Wei had known the Nvidia co-founder for about a decade when he introduced him to his wife, Alice Huang. TMZ picked up the detail Thursday as Nvidia announced that Jensen Huang had resigned.
The introduction was only the first surprise. People who know the couple told the Journal that Kang appeared to accept his wife's reported relationship with the Nvidia chief and spoke openly about how close they were. He even joked to associates that Alice was Jensen's personal assistant, the sources said. The Journal said it was unable to reach Kang or Alice for comment.
The husband story landed alongside another revelation. Reuters reported Thursday that two people familiar with the matter said Huang had an intimate relationship with a second Nvidia employee, whom the outlet did not identify. That followed The New York Times' report that Huang had an affair with Nvidia healthcare vice president Kimberly Powell. Nvidia declined to comment to Reuters, and neither Powell nor Huang responded to its requests for comment.
Huang had already admitted infidelity in a Nov. 8 message to employees. "I was unfaithful to my wife," he wrote, apologising to his family and asking for privacy. He did not name anyone in that message. Reuters reported that U.S. intelligence suspects Alice Huang of spying for China. Beijing denied there was a plot, and Nvidia's board said when it opened an independent investigation that it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security had been compromised.
Four days after Huang's apology, Nvidia announced that he was out as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately. Finance chief Colette Kress is now interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor.
