Daniel Wolfram
This time, the affair was with an American woman who reports directly to the tech giant.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang had an extramarital affair with a senior executive who reported to him, according to The New York Times. Five people who worked at the company confirmed the relationship with vice president Kimberly Powell.
Both Huang, 63, and Powell, 48, are married to other people. During Nvidia’s annual developer conference in San Jose in March, two sources told The Times the pair were filmed being affectionate at a nearby hotel.
Huang’s security team spotted a bystander filming the moment, pulled the person aside, and asked them to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
Trouble piles up
For Huang, the timing could hardly be worse. Last month, The Times reported that the Nvidia co-founder had a separate affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom United States officials identified as a Chinese spy.
The Times noted Nvidia’s board hired a law firm to investigate that matter after Huang admitted to it, while three Republican-led House committees requested a briefing. China keeps denying the spying claims.
When The Times called Huang on Wednesday to ask about Powell, he kept it brief. “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly,” he said before hanging up. Nvidia shares fell about 8 percent in the aftermath of this reporting.
Rules at the top
Powell joined Nvidia in 2008 and rose steadily through the ranks to lead its health care department, according to her LinkedIn profile and the company website.
Under its own code of conduct, Nvidia warns employees to “avoid situations where our actions create conflict,” including “personal relationships.” The policy also promises that the company “promptly investigates reports of misconduct.”
Before the reports of the new affair broke, President Donald Trump shrugged off concerns about Jensen Huang and his future at Nvidia.
Just a few days ago, Trump called Huang an “honorable man,” and said that he “really believe[d] him” when it came to Huang not knowing the Chinese woman was a spy.
