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Nvidia CEO Huang resigns, and lawmakers say he'll brief Congress on alleged spy

Reports of a second affair preceded his exit, and Republicans now press Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over why the alleged spy's employer was not blacklisted.

21 news outlets reported this
Liberal9 outletsHuang's briefing pledge and US-China diplomacy falloutCenter3 outletsHuang is out, but Congress wants answersConservative9 outletsRepublicans demand answers from Huang and Lutnick
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's president and CEO on Thursday, ending 33 years at the chipmaker. His exit followed reports of two affairs. One involved Alice Huang, unrelated to him, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed whom US intelligence suspects of spying for Beijing.

The other was Kimberly Powell, a subordinate who serves as Nvidia's health care vice president, as the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Huang has denied compromising national security. Lawmakers say he agreed to brief .

Rep. Brian Mast, who chairs Foreign Affairs Committee, said Huang's team confirmed he would appear after Mast and two other Republican chairmen threatened a . President Trump said on Monday that Huang told him he had no idea Alice Huang was a spy. Nvidia's board named chief financial officer Colette Kress interim CEO.

Republicans are also pressing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose department never added Megaspeed to its Entity List, which bars listed firms from getting sensitive US technology without a license. A White House official said Trump has complete confidence in Lutnick. Mast said he still has confidence in him.

Federal authorities have investigated whether Megaspeed helped route Nvidia chips to China, and the company denies wrongdoing.

Key figures
  • $4 trillionNvidia's estimated worth, per the Daily MailDaily Mail
  • more than $4 billionNvidia chips bought by Megaspeed, by some analyst estimatesNew York Post

Three sides of the story

9Liberal3Center9Conservative

21 news outlets reported this

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal9 outlets

Huang's briefing pledge and US-China diplomacy fallout

NBC News headlines that Huang "agrees to brief Congress on interactions with alleged spy, lawmakers say," attributing the agreement to lawmakers. Semafor takes the foreign-policy angle under the headline "Nvidia CEO's spy affair clouds US-China talks." It says Beijing called the scandal part of a US push for a tech "blockade" on China, which casts doubt on a planned meeting of the two leaders.

Semafor notes that the US secretary hailed what he described as growing engagement, but says the upbeat talk has not yet produced tangible progress. Talks in Shenzhen were set to advance an AI dialogue, possibly sharing practices on testing advanced models before release. Semafor says the spy allegations put those plans in doubt.

It cites a Bloomberg report that Chinese security officials know the woman is now living in Beijing.

Center3 outlets

Huang is out, but Congress wants answers

The Hill reports under the headline "Nvidia's Huang steps down, but Congress still wants answers." It says Huang resigned Thursday as CEO amid an "explosive spy scandal." It says Democratic and Republican lawmakers still want him to answer questions, pointing to security concerns over his ties to a woman US officials concluded had passed information to China.

Conservative9 outlets

Republicans demand answers from Huang and Lutnick

The Daily Mail leads with Republicans calling to subpoena the "arrogant" ousted CEO despite Trump's backing. It quotes Sen. Kevin Cramer: "I would be happy to support a subpoena." It recounts Trump's Monday remark about Huang: "I really believe him."

The New York Post leads with Huang's agreement to testify, quoting Rep. Brian Mast: "He has some very serious questions to answer." It then turns to Lutnick, whose department never listed Megaspeed, and cites Sen. John Kennedy and Rep. Bill Huizenga calling on him to answer. It also carries a White House official's vote of confidence in him.

The Daily Signal reports from a Heritage Foundation forum. Piero Tozzi of the America First Policy Institute says he expects Congress to take action on export controls. Cato Institute fellow Katherine Thompson says Congress should look at the scope of presidential waivers.

Heritage's Steve Yates says the US needs smarter ways to counter China.

What a side did not mention
  • Liberal outlets did not mentionReported second affair with Nvidia executive Kimberly Powell Reported by Daily Mail, New York Post
All sources: 29 articles from 21 outlets

Liberal (12)

Center (5)

Conservative (12)

Related
  1. Nvidia board opens probe as CEO Huang admits affair amid Chinese spying reports
  2. Trump says Nvidia CEO didn't know his affair partner was a suspected spy
  3. Axios: Commerce Secretary got classified warning on Nvidia CEO's link to suspected spy
  4. Nvidia CEO Huang resigns, and lawmakers say he'll brief Congress on alleged spyThis story
  5. Lawmakers press Commerce Secretary Lutnick on Nvidia chips as White House backs him
Congress

The US parliament: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill becomes law when both pass it and the president signs it.

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House of Representatives

The lower chamber of Congress: 435 members elected every two years, with more seats for bigger states. It is the chamber that can impeach officials.

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Subpoena

A legal order to testify or hand over documents, issued by a court, a prosecutor or a congressional committee. Ignoring it can be punished.

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Treasury Department

The federal finance ministry: it collects taxes through the IRS, pays the government's bills and borrows by selling bonds. The interest on those bonds steers mortgage and loan rates.

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