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Nvidia hires top US law firm to investigate affair between CEO Huang and Chinese spy

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Nvidia retained law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to review the chief executive's ties to Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based customer Megaspeed. Although Donald Trump stated the CEO was unaware the woman was an operative, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously warned senior officials regarding the affair. House lawmakers have now requested Jensen Huang's appearance at a closed-door briefing as shares hover near a one-year low.

Key points

  • The ongoing espionage allegations and federal scrutiny have erased roughly $500 billion f…: The ongoing espionage allegations and federal scrutiny have erased roughly $500 billion from Nvidia's total market value.
  • Nvidia's board maintains that the chief executive's relationship did not compromise compa…: Nvidia's board maintains that the chief executive's relationship did not compromise company trade secrets or American national security.
  • The controversy intensifies Washington's broader efforts to protect domestic semiconducto…: The controversy intensifies Washington's broader efforts to protect domestic semiconductor technology from reaching Chinese artificial intelligence developers.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Nvidia on Tuesday said it hired a prominent US law firm to investigate allegations surrounding a relationship between its chief executive Jensen Huang and a woman accused of spying for China, as the matter draws scrutiny from US lawmakers and the FBI.

The company said that New York-based Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (WLRK) would lead the inquiry, with attorney Joon Kim overseeing what it described as a “thorough and independent investigation”, BBC reported.

The FBI is conducting a separate probe.

Huang, who co-founded Nvidia, has acknowledged having a romantic relationship outside his marriage. The woman, Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, is alleged to be a Chinese spy. She is not related to the Nvidia chief.

The company's shares have fallen close to a one-year low, wiping about $500 billion (£375 billion) off its market value since Friday.

Nvidia is a major player in the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and the world's second most valuable company after Apple. Its chips are central to the development of AI tools and have become a national security concern for US officials…

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