Jensen Huang Said to Have Had Relationship With Nvidia Executive Who Reports to Him
Mr. Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, is already facing scrutiny over an affair with a Chinese businesswoman who U.S. intelligence determined was a Chinese spy.
Jensen Huang, the leader of Nvidia who is under investigation for an affair with a woman who U.S. intelligence determined is a Chinese spy, also had an extramarital relationship with an executive who reports to him, according to five people who worked at the company.
The relationship, which has not been previously reported, was with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, said the people, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information. Under Nvidia’s code of conduct, employees are told to “avoid situations where our actions create conflict” including “personal relationships,” and the company states that it “promptly investigates reports of misconduct.” Many corporations have policies against managers having relationships with subordinates.
Mr. Huang, 63, and Ms. Powell, 48, were captured on video being affectionate at a San Jose, Calif., hotel during a Nvidia conference in March, according to two of the people who worked at the company. The New York Times has not seen the video.
Both Mr. Huang and Ms. Powell are married to other people.
Mr. Huang, who co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has turned it into the premier supplier of artificial intelligence chips, has been under intensifying scrutiny. Last month, The New York Times reported that a Chinese executive he had become close to had been identified by U.S. officials as a Chinese intelligence asset.
This month, after Mr. Huang acknowledged the affair, Nvidia’s board opened an investigation into the matter that is being led by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The Republican leaders of three influential House committees have also asked Mr. Huang to appear for a closed-door briefing on his interactions with the woman, who goes by the name Alice Huang.
China has denied the espionage claims. Ms. Huang, the Chinese executive accused of spying for Beijing, has not responded to requests for comment.
When reached by phone Wednesday and asked about his relationship with Ms. Powell, Mr. Huang said, “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly.” He then hung up.
Nvidia declined to provide a statement. Ms. Powell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s shares fell about 8 percent in after-hours trading.
Mr. Huang’s relationship with Ms. Powell has been discussed inside the company, the five people said.
Ms. Powell joined Nvidia in 2008. She oversees programs that could apply Nvidia’s chip technology to higher education and health care, particularly medical imaging devices, according to the company’s website.
Ms. Powell has risen through Nvidia’s ranks. She was promoted to senior director of artificial intelligence business development in 2016, according to her LinkedIn. By late 2017, she was appointed vice president of health care. She attends technology conferences around the world, and delivers speeches on behalf of the company.
In March, Ms. Powell appeared at GTC, Nvidia’s annual developer conference in San Jose, where she spoke about using A.I. to aid in breakthroughs in health care and biology. Her presentation used cartoon depictions of Mr. Huang.
During the conference, Nvidia executives were at a nearby hotel for meetings. Mr. Huang and Ms. Powell were seen being affectionate at the hotel. One bystander captured the interaction on their phone, three people briefed on the incident said.
Mr. Huang’s security witnessed the bystander with their phone and sequestered them, the people said. They made the person an offer to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
Mr. Huang is among a long list of chief executives of American companies who have had relationships with subordinates. Brian Krzanich resigned in 2018 from Intel, the chip maker, after acknowledging a “past consensual relationship” with an employee.
The following year, McDonald’s removed Steve Easterbrook as its chief executive and later sued him after learning he had violated corporate policies by maintaining sexual relationships with multiple employees.
Ryan Mac is a Times reporter who covers corporate accountability across the global technology industry.
Tripp Mickle reports for The Times on some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Nvidia, Google and Apple. He also writes about tech industry trends like layoffs and artificial intelligence.
Georgia Gee is a news researcher and runs The New York Times tips line.
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