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Nvidia: Ex-prosecutor Joon Kim and Wachtell, Lipton bring big track record to investigation

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The independent review focuses on whether Jensen Huang was compromised in a foreign intelligence operation involving Alice Huang, who is suspected by U.S. intelligence of spying for China. Investigators may also evaluate whether to broaden their scope to include Huang's alleged affair with Nvidia executive Kimberly Powell, which prompted his resignation on Thursday. To lead the inquiry, Nvidia selected Joon Kim and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, who recently led the NBA's salary cap probe into the Los Angeles Clippers. Wachtell, Lipton declined to comment, while Nvidia did not immediately address questions about expanding the inquiry's scope.

Key points

  • Nvidia has turned to elite legal counsel with deep prosecutorial experience to manage a s…: Nvidia has turned to elite legal counsel with deep prosecutorial experience to manage a sensitive national security and governance scandal.
  • The scope of the inquiry may expand beyond alleged foreign espionage to include internal…: The scope of the inquiry may expand beyond alleged foreign espionage to include internal workplace relationship allegations involving top executives.
  • Lead investigator Joon Kim brings a formidable track record that includes prosecuting org…: Lead investigator Joon Kim brings a formidable track record that includes prosecuting organized crime families, financial fraud, and prominent political figures.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Joon Kim, the lawyer tapped by artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia to investigate its former CEO Jensen Huang, and the Big Law firm he works for have a long history of investigating high-profile cases.

Kim, in his career as a top federal prosecutor and as an attorney in private practice, has had in his sights mobster John "The Teflon Don" Gotti's son, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and other high-profile people and companies.

The law firm that Kim recently joined — Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz — this year conducted an investigation for the NBA of the Los Angeles Clippers and its billionaire owner, Steve Ballmer, which ended with the basketball league imposing stiff sanctions on Ballmer and the Clippers for violating salary cap rules in connection with superstar Kawhi Leonard.

On Tuesday, Nvidia said it had retained Kim, 55, and Wachtell, Lipton to "conduct a thorough and independent investigation" of allegations that its then-CEO Jensen Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort involving his affair with a woman, Alice Huang.…

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