US President Donald Trump has said the FBI is looking into Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with a woman alleged to be a Chinese intelligence asset. Huang says he had no idea about the alleged link. The spying allegation is unproven, and China has denied it. Nvidia’s shares fell 4.3% on Monday.
Image: AI-generated illustration.
Key takeaways
- Trump said on Monday, 9 November, that the FBI is probing Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based Megaspeed.
- Trump said he spoke to Huang the same day. Huang told him: “I had no idea that she was a spy.” Trump said, “I really believe him.”
- Nvidia’s board opened an independent probe on Sunday, 8 November. It says it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.
- A shareholder class action was filed in San Jose on Monday, accusing Nvidia of hiding the alleged relationship and its national security risks from investors.
- Nvidia shares fell 4.3% on Monday, wiping out about $190 billion in market value and hitting a seven-month low. China called the spying claim groundless.
01. What Trump said
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had spoken to Huang earlier that day to ask how he was doing. Trump said he asked Huang directly whether he had known the woman was a spy.
“He said, ‘I had no idea that she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” Trump told reporters. “I know the FBI is looking into it, in terms of something else. I think that he’ll be in good shape.”
Trump added that he hopes there is “no problem”. He said he does not expect to raise the issue when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, but that Xi may ask him about it.
Trump gave Huang the National Medal of Science last month. The two have close ties, and Huang has praised Trump’s approach to AI policy in the past.
02. What is alleged — and what is not proven
The reports at the centre of this story say US intelligence officials concluded that Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, was a Chinese intelligence asset. The New York Times and the Financial Times reported last week that unnamed US officials authored a memo alleging Huang was targeted by her for intelligence gathering.
None of this is proven. No evidence has been made public that Nvidia secrets were compromised. Alice Huang and Jensen Huang share a surname. They are not related.
China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the claims on Monday. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun called them “groundless speculation, and a smear against China”.
Huang has admitted the affair itself and apologised to his wife and to Nvidia staff. The affair is confirmed. The spying allegation is not. The two must be kept apart.
03. The board probe and the lawsuit
Nvidia’s board announced on Sunday, 8 November, that it had opened an independent inquiry, overseen by outside lawyers, into whether Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The board said it had no reason to believe US national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but that the inquiry would examine “all available information”.
On Monday, Nvidia and Huang were sued in a proposed shareholder class action filed in a federal court in San Jose, California. The complaint accuses them of misleading shareholders by concealing the alleged relationship and the national security concerns arising from it. The lawsuit was filed five minutes after the US stock market closed.
Three Republican House committee chairs have also asked Huang for a closed-door briefing on 18 November about his links with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s safeguards.
For the background to this story, read our earlier report: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Admits Affair as Board Opens Spy Probe. Also read our India-EU Horizon Europe tech story.
04. Market reaction
| Development | Detail |
|---|---|
| Trump statement | Monday, 9 November: FBI is looking into Huang’s relationship |
| Board probe | Opened Sunday, 8 November; independent, overseen by outside counsel |
| Board position | No reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised |
| Shareholder lawsuit | Class action filed Monday in San Jose federal court |
| Shares on Monday | Fell 4.3%; about $190 billion in market value wiped out; seven-month low |
| China’s response | Foreign Ministry called the claim groundless and a smear |
| Next steps | House briefing sought for 18 November; board probe continues |
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera and The Hindu, 10 November 2026; USA Today and Business Standard, 9–10 November 2026. The spying allegation is reported as an allegation, not as a proven fact.
05. FAQs
Is the FBI investigating Jensen Huang?
President Trump said on 9 November that the FBI is looking into Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang. The FBI has not itself confirmed details of any investigation.
Did Huang know she was allegedly a spy?
Huang told Trump he had “absolutely no idea” the woman was an alleged intelligence agent. Trump said he believes him. The allegation itself remains unproven.
Is Huang still Nvidia CEO?
Yes. He remains CEO while the board’s independent probe continues, and he is cooperating with it.
