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Billions lost and markets roiled by one man’s indiscretion. Isn’t it now clear that these tech bros are too powerful? | Aditya Chakrabortty

By · Via The Guardian Business · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The market rout follows revelations that Jensen Huang had an affair with a woman suspected by U.S. officials of espionage for Beijing. These developments compound prior scrutiny regarding reports that Nvidia chips were routed to China through a storefront near Kuala Lumpur. With the CEO now facing separate allegations involving a company executive, the board met to assess the damage, though its close personal ties to Huang complicate decisive action.

Key points

  • National security concerns are mounting because Washington currently bars China from acqu…: National security concerns are mounting because Washington currently bars China from acquiring Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence chips.
  • The company faces heightened regulatory scrutiny following prior reports that its hardwar…: The company faces heightened regulatory scrutiny following prior reports that its hardware was routed toward China via Malaysia.
  • Jensen Huang's removal remains complicated because Nvidia lacks a clear succession plan a…: Jensen Huang's removal remains complicated because Nvidia lacks a clear succession plan and features a closely aligned board.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

One thing we all know about the tech billionaires is they are super-smart. We know this largely because they never stop telling us. The “cognitive elite”, to use their favoured phrase, are entitled to shape our future without our say-so. When Elon Musk goes hiring, he wants “super-high-IQ small-government revolutionaries”. Long before they got private jets, what fuelled these boys was faith in their own brainpower. As a teenager, Jensen Huang wooed his future wife, Lori, thus: “If you do homework with me every Sunday, I promise you you’ll get straight As.”

Lord Byron: I believe it’s your move.

Which raises the question: if you’re that clever, why act so dumb? At last week’s midterms, it was Musk who backed Team Trump to the tune of $446m. With unhedged bets like that, why wouldn’t you want him gambling with your livelihood? This week, it is 63-year-old Huang and his affair with a much younger woman, who the US government strongly suspects is a Chinese spy. That scandal wiped more than $400bn off the value of his company in just two…

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