Investors push for Jensen Huang to be reinstated as Nvidia CEO after affair with suspected spy

Two major Nvidia shareholders are urging the company’s board to consider reinstating Jensen Huang as CEO after his departure over an extramarital affair with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of espionage sparked a political battle within the Trump administration.Altmeter Capital CEO Brad Gerstner and Atreides Management founder Gavin Barker called for a measured approach to Nvidia’s leadership in a letter published Friday, arguing that Huang’s return should remain on the table as questions mount over the intelligence allegations against his former partner.The investors urged the board to pursue a “slow, measured, and deliberate process” in selecting the company’s next leader, including considering Huang’s reinstatement. “There are more questions about recent events than answers,” the letter said. “We believe the Board should avoid a rush to replace Jensen that undermines and thwarts the best interests of shareholders.”Their intervention comes as Trump administration officials publicly clash over whether Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen who had a relationship with the Nvidia founder, was working as a spy for Beijing.Nvidia announced Thursday that longtime Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress would serve as interim CEO. Gerstner and Baker express confidence in her leadership while arguing the board should not rule out Jensen Huang’s reinstatement.The investors hold substantial stakes in the chipmaker. Altimeter reported owning 9.4 million Nvidia shares worth nearly $1.9 billion as of June 30, while Atreides held approximately 1.2 million shares valued at $250 million, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.Jensen Huang acknowledged the affair and apologized to his wife and children. Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into the matter but said it has no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised.President Donald Trump listens as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during an event about investing in America in the Cross Hall of the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo) Jensen Huang has agreed to give a closed-door briefing to Congress by Thanksgiving. Separately, he was asked to appear at a Dec. 3 hearing held by the Senate banking committee. The panel’s chairman, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), also asked Lutnick to testify on Dec. 10. The commerce secretary has agreed to participate in that hearing.The New York Times reported last week that Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw a classified memo in May warning senior administration officials that Alice Huang had been recruited by China’s intelligence agency. However, the strength of the evidence supporting that assessment has since come under scrutiny.Former White House AI adviser David Sacks challenged the allegations Thursday, citing statements from intelligence officials to CNN suggesting investigators had not reached a definitive conclusion.“The spy narrative is collapsing already,” Sacks said in an X post. “Is there clear & convincing evidence that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy?”He also called for an investigation into the leak of the classified memo.The dispute has exposed divisions within the administration over Nvidia’s business dealings with China. Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have pushed for tighter restrictions on technology exports, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has faced accusations of delaying efforts to blacklist Megaspeed, the Singapore-based company where Alice Huang worked.Bessent publicly criticized the Commerce Department’s handling of the matter during a Friday CNBC interview, saying the U.S. Trade Representative and the Treasury, War, and State departments were “in favor of putting Megaspeed on the entity list for months.” However, he noted, the Commerce Department “has the pen.”COULD HUANG’S AFFAIRS JEOPARDIZE AMERICA’S GLOBAL ECONOMIC DOMINANCE?The controversy has placed renewed scrutiny on Huang’s influence over President Donald Trump’s artificial intelligence policies, particularly his mixed stance on sweeping restrictions on chip sales to China, as there were allowances for Nvidia.Despite the allegations, some Trump orbiters have defended the former CEO. Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, who lived in China, called for Jensen Huang’s immediate reinstatement, saying she understood how valuable Huang was to the United States.