Jensen Huang's fortune takes $7.4 billion hit as Nvidia probes affair

Nvidia CEO's fortune fell to $154.7 billion as the chipmaker's shares tumbled following reports of his relationship with an executive allegedly linked to Chinese intelligence

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s net worth fell by an estimated $7.4 billion on Monday after the chipmaker’s shares slid on reports that the company is probing his affair with a business executive of Singapore-based firm Megaspeed, who allegedly has links to Chinese intelligence, Forbes reported.

 

The decline pushed Huang down two places in Forbes' real-time billionaire rankings, from 8th to 10th, placing him below Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

 

His estimated net worth fell from $162.2 billion to $154.7 billion during the first half-hour of trading and remained at that level into the afternoon, according to Forbes.

 

 

Huang briefly slipped out of the world’s top 10 richest after Nvidia shares fell over 7 per cent at the opening bell. The stock was down 5.5 per cent by 1:30 pm ET, as investors reacted to the controversy and the company’s decision to launch an independent investigation.

 

The controversy also hit Nvidia’s market value. Its market capitalisation fell from $4.5 trillion at Friday’s close to about $4.24 trillion by Monday afternoon, wiping out roughly $260 billion.

 

Why did Jensen Huang lose billions?

 

The sell-off followed Nvidia's announcement that its board had initiated an independent investigation into reports about Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based AI computing firm Megaspeed.

 

The controversy intensified after The New York Times reported in late October that US intelligence had flagged Alice Huang as someone allegedly recruited by China's intelligence agency to gather information for Beijing. Citing a memo circulated within the Trump administration, the report also said she had a close relationship with the Nvidia chief.

 

On Sunday, November 8, Huang acknowledged an extramarital affair in a message to Nvidia employees. He apologised to his wife and children and said he would cooperate with the company’s probe.

 

Nvidia's board has appointed a committee of independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, to examine the available information. However, it said it had no reason to believe that US national security or Nvidia's proprietary information had been compromised.

 

The company has also maintained that the investigation would not interrupt its operations or Huang's leadership.

 

Why does the controversy matter for Nvidia?

 

The episode comes at a sensitive time for Nvidia, which has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the global artificial intelligence boom. Its graphics processing units (GPUs) are central to the development and deployment of advanced AI models, making the company a critical player in the technology supply chain.

 

Huang is also an influential voice in US tech policy and has close ties with the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has defended him as an “honourable” man and indicated he would still travel with him to China.

 

Meanwhile, Nvidia is set to announce its quarterly financial results on November 17. Investors will be watching the company's performance, management commentary and any further developments in the board's investigation.