New Delhi: Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is facing fresh scrutiny over his personal relationships, with a new report alleging that he had an extramarital relationship with a senior executive who reports directly to him.
The revelation comes weeks after Huang came under investigation over his relationship with a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence officials reportedly identified as an alleged Chinese intelligence asset.
According to a report by The New York Times, Huang, 63, had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, 48, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare. The report cited five people who had worked at the company. Both Huang and Powell are married to other people. The relationship, which had not been previously reported, has reportedly been discussed internally at Nvidia.
Huang and Powell were captured on video being affectionate at a hotel in San Jose, California, during Nvidia’s annual developer conference in March, the report said, citing people familiar with the incident. The New York Times said it had not independently viewed the video.
According to the report, a bystander recorded the interaction on a mobile phone. Huang’s security personnel noticed the recording and confined the individual, offering them a non-disclosure agreement, three people briefed on the incident told the newspaper.
When contacted by the newspaper on Wednesday and asked about his relationship with Powell, Huang said, “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly,” before hanging up. Nvidia declined to comment, while Powell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The earlier allegations involving a Chinese businesswoman
The latest allegations add to the scrutiny surrounding Huang’s relationship with a Chinese businesswoman identified by US intelligence officials as an alleged Chinese intelligence asset. According to media reports, Huang had grown close to the woman, who goes by the name Alice Huang. She was reportedly an executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, which has faced scrutiny over suspected assistance in obtaining Nvidia chips for Chinese firms.
On 8 November, Huang sent a message to Nvidia employees acknowledging that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologising to his family and colleagues. He did not name the woman or specify the relationship. Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation the same day to examine reports that Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.
Republican leaders of three influential committees in the US House of Representatives have also sought a closed-door briefing from Huang about his interactions with Alice Huang. The chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs, China and Intelligence committees requested that he brief them on 18 November.
China has denied the espionage allegations, with foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun calling them “groundless” and a smear against the country. Alice Huang has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Also read: Chinese commentators see a political plot behind the Jensen Huang extramarital affair scandal
Who is Kimberly Powell?
Powell joined Nvidia in 2008 and has steadily risen through the company’s ranks. She was promoted to senior director of artificial intelligence business development in 2016 and became vice-president of healthcare by late 2017, according to her career profile.
In her current role, she oversees Nvidia’s healthcare business, including initiatives applying the company’s chip technology to medical imaging, life sciences, drug discovery and healthcare analytics.
She appeared at Nvidia’s GTC conference in San Jose in March, where she spoke about artificial intelligence’s potential to drive advances in healthcare and biology. Her presentation also featured cartoon depictions of Huang.
A history of workplace relationship controversies
The reported relationship comes amid renewed scrutiny of workplace relationships between senior executives and employees at major American corporations.
In 2018, Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich resigned after the company disclosed that he had been involved in a consensual relationship with an employee, violating its internal non-fraternisation policy. Intel announced his resignation on 21 June that year.
A year later, McDonald’s removed chief executive Steve Easterbrook after discovering that he had engaged in a consensual relationship with an employee, in violation of company rules. The company later found evidence of further relationships and alleged that Easterbrook had concealed information from investigators. The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s account of the case details the company’s findings and subsequent action.
Nvidia’s code of conduct asks employees to avoid situations that could create conflicts of interest, including those involving personal relationships, and says the company promptly investigates reports of misconduct.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)
It’s wrong to hold men solely responsible for an affar. There are always two people involved in an affair. And both must be held accountable.
Also, from my own observations, women do tend to like men in powerful positions. And that is absolutely natural and an evolutionary trait – nothing wrong in it.
But this hounding of senior male executives of companies over absolutely consensual sexual relations makes no sense whatsoever.