Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and the company leadership engaged a crisis public relations firm specializing in high-profile sex scandals more than a year before Huang publicly admitted to an affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese intelligence operative.
Internal records and reports indicate that Huang or Nvidia entered a contract with Risa Heller Communications in October 2025. The firm is widely recognized for its representation of figures involved in personal and professional controversies, including former congressman Anthony Weiner and journalist Jeff Toobin. The hiring occurred shortly after a New York Times report first linked Huang to Alice Huang (also known as Huang Le), a former executive at the Singapore-based data center firm Megaspeed.
Since late 2025, a specific internal directive at Nvidia required employees to copy Risa Heller Communications on all media requests involving the CEO. This proactive management of Huang’s public image suggests that the company was preparing for the fallout of the relationship long before Huang’s official admission on November 8, 2026.
The admission of the affair marks a sharp reversal for Nvidia. In October 2025, and as recently as last month, the company maintained that Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang were “not unusual or unexpected” and were strictly professional. However, in a letter sent to Nvidia employees this week, Huang acknowledged the personal nature of the relationship.
The disclosure has triggered significant financial and regulatory consequences. Nvidia shares fell between 5% and 6% in early trading on Monday, November 9, 2026. In response to the development, the Nvidia board of directors has launched an independent investigation overseen by a committee of independent directors and outside counsel to evaluate potential national security implications and internal policy violations.
U.S. intelligence agencies have reported suspicions that Alice Huang is an operative for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The relationship has drawn the attention of House Republican committee chairs, who have requested a formal briefing from Huang regarding the extent of her access to his communications or sensitive government data.
Despite the investigation and the resulting market volatility, President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Monday, defending the Nvidia CEO. According to reporting from Fox News Digital, Trump described Huang as an “honorable guy” and indicated that he still intends to include the executive on an upcoming diplomatic trip to Asia.
The timeline of the relationship traces back to at least June 2024, when the pair were sighted together in Taipei. While the initial concerns focused on Megaspeed’s potential role in helping Nvidia circumvent U.S. export controls to China, the focus has shifted to the personal security of the CEO and the integrity of Nvidia’s internal data. The board’s investigation is expected to determine whether Alice Huang gained access to Huang’s personal devices or any communications with U.S. government officials.
