Jensen Huang has, for more than three decades, been the driving force behind Nvidia, transforming a video game graphic chipmaker into one of the most impactful companies of the AI era. Now, in a remarkable turn of events, the 63-year-old CEO may be on his way out.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust Huang, following allegations of a second extramarital affair, this one with a company executive who reports to him. That bombshell came just days after reports emerged of a liaison with a woman who led Singaporean data center firm Megaspeed who is also suspected of being a Chinese spy. Nvidia’s board launched an investigation after Huang acknowledged that affair, but said it has no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised.

The revelation of a second affair, however, this time involving a subordinate (reportedly Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare), reinforces concerns about Huang’s judgment—and perhaps alters the company’s potential legal exposure. The board was set to meet as early as today to determine his future, according to The Journal, as a scandal initially centered on national security grows into a broader crisis of corporate governance.

Should Huang indeed be given the boot, he’ll leave behind a company that helped transform modern computing—and one built to an extraordinary degree around him.

In 1993, following stints at AMD and chipmaker LSI Logic, Huang cofounded Nvidia with engineers Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem. Their bet—that increasingly sophisticated computer graphics would require specialized processors—proved to be prescient.

Source link