Nvidia said on Thursday that CEO Jensen Huang was stepping down, leaving the AI industry without its biggest champion and clouding the future of the chipmaker he built into an AI powerhouse.
A controversy surrounding Huang and the chipmaker’s China business has spiraled into a national-security and political storm, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, the company’s board and investors.
The fallout has also intensified a long-running debate in Washington over whether the U.S. should allow its most advanced AI chips to be sold to China.
Here is a timeline of key developments:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2023 | 7Road International changes its name to Megaspeed International as it expands its cloud-computing business focused on AI infrastructure. |
| June 2024 | Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, a business executive later linked to Megaspeed, are photographed together during the Computex conference in Taiwan. They are not related. |
| May 2025 | Video footage reviewed by Reuters shows them attending a private dinner in Taipei. |
| October 2025 | The New York Times reports that Alice Huang and Jensen Huang were seen socializing together, marking the first public link connecting the two. Report also says federal investigators are examining Megaspeed’s activities and potential exports of advanced chips to China. |
| December 2025 | U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. will allow shipments of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China after reaching an agreement with the chipmaker. |
| Spring 2026 | U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversees the drafting of a classified memo warning senior Trump administration officials that Jensen Huang was in a close relationship with Alice Huang, the New York Times reports in November. |
| May 13 | Trump adds Jensen Huang at the last minute to a U.S. delegation visiting China shortly before a two-day summit in Beijing. |
| September 14 | Jensen Huang takes Trump’s phone call during a live taping of the annual All-In summit. The two speak against proposals to slow AI development and discuss U.S. leadership in AI. |
| October 8 | Trump awards Jensen Huang the National Medal of Science. |
| October 29 | The New York Times reports that U.S. intelligence officials were concerned Alice Huang was acting on behalf of Chinese intelligence and had a close relationship with Jensen Huang. Nvidia says the relationship is not “unusual.” |
| November 5 | Top Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives seek a closed-door briefing on November 18 from Jensen Huang on the allegations. |
| November 8 | Jensen Huang tells Nvidia employees he has been unfaithful to his wife, without disclosing details of the relationship. Nvidia board launches an independent investigation into reports the CEO was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. |
| November 9 | U.S. House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries calls for the House to pass an annual defence bill that includes restrictions on chip sales to China. Nvidia and Jensen Huang are sued in a proposed class action accusing them of defrauding shareholders by concealing Huang’s ties with a suspected Chinese spy. |
| November 10 | Jensen Huang’s affair facilitated the shipment of at least US$7.5 billion worth of the company’s chips to Chinese firms, The Information reports. Nvidia board retains Wachtell Lipton partner and former acting U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York, Joon Kim, whose practice includes internal investigations and white-collar defence, to lead the probe. Republican U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer calls for Jensen Huang’s resignation, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer calls on Congress to pass the AI Overwatch Act, which would give Congress power over advanced chip exports. |
| November 11 | The CEO also had an extramarital affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reported to him, NYT reports. Nvidia board met to decide whether to oust Jensen Huang, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the matter. |
| November 12 | Nvidia says Jensen Huang has resigned as president, chief executive officer, and a member of the board, effective immediately. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will take over as interim CEO. |
(Reporting by Prathik Jayaprakash and Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)
