Nvidia hires ex-prosecutor to probe whether CEO Huang was a foreign spy target
Joon H. Kim, who helped investigate harassment claims against Andrew Cuomo, leads it, and Nvidia says Huang stays CEO during the probe.
Nvidia's board said Tuesday that it has hired the New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to run an independent investigation of CEO Jensen Huang. Joon H. Kim, a Wachtell partner and former top Manhattan federal prosecutor, leads the work. The probe will look into whether a foreign intelligence operation had Huang as its target.
It follows Huang's admission of an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a woman US officials believe to be a Chinese spy. The board announced the investigation on Sunday. In 2017 and 2018, Kim held an acting post as in the Southern District of New York.
In 2021 he was among the investigators of sexual harassment allegations against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. According to the New York Post, Nvidia says Huang will remain CEO during the investigation and will not take part in choosing outside counsel. The Post also reports that the board said it has "no reason to believe" national security or company secrets were compromised.
Breitbart News reports that shareholders have filed a class-action lawsuit against Nvidia, accusing it and Huang of misleading investors.
- 161 yearscombined board service of Nvidia's 10 directors, per the New York Times as cited by the PostNew York Post
- more than 60executives reporting directly to Huang, per the New York Times as cited by the PostNew York Post
Three sides of the story
26 news outlets reported this
Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.
Liberal8 outlets
Profile of the investigator and his law firm
Business Insider builds a profile of the investigator and his firm. It says Nvidia's board hired Wachtell to lead an investigation of Huang "amid scrutiny of his relationship to a suspected Chinese spy." It adds that the board wants to know whether he was the "target of a foreign intelligence effort."
Most of the piece covers Joon H. Kim, who joined Wachtell after nearly a decade at Cleary Gottlieb. It covers his time as acting US attorney in the Southern District of New York, 2017 to 2018, plus his organized crime cases and his 2021 co-leading role on the Cuomo harassment inquiry. For the firm, it cites past clients: Twitter in its 2022 fight with Elon Musk, and the NBA in the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers matters.
It notes the NBA fined the Clippers $30 million in September.
Center8 outlets
Nvidia hires elite law firm for independent probe
Forbes reports that Nvidia retained Wachtell for an independent investigation of Huang's affair with a woman US officials believe to be a Chinese spy, and notes in its headline that Indian billionaire Gautam Adani once retained the firm. The Journal's headline says Wachtell Lipton will lead the internal investigation. It calls the firm "elite" and says it will probe whether the company was the target of a foreign espionage effort.
- Forbes: Nvidia Hires Law Firm Once Retained By Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani Amid Jensen Huang Affair Scandal
- The Wall Street Journal: Law Firm Wachtell Lipton to Lead Nvidia Internal Investigation
- The Wall Street Journal: Law Firm Wachtell Lipton to Lead Nvidia Internal Investigation
Conservative10 outlets
Board scrutiny and fallout of the spy scandal
The New York Post's headline stresses that the lawyer once investigated Andrew Cuomo, and that the board "faces scrutiny." It leans on the New York Times, which reported that the 10 directors have a combined 161 years of service and several have long ties to Huang. It quotes Arm CEO Rene Haas on Huang's dislike of succession planning.
The Post also reports Nvidia's word that Huang stays CEO during the probe, and the board's statement that it had "no reason to believe" national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised. Breitbart News, citing the Washington Post, leads with the hiring of Kim a week before the . It then adds a shareholder class-action suit, details on Alice Huang and Megaspeed, and Huang's apology to staff.
One employee told CNBC the mood was "sad," another said "business as usual."
Which side made the stronger case?
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All sources: 40 articles from 26 outlets
Liberal (10)
- Business Insider: What we know about Joon H. Kim and Wachtell, the law firm probing Jensen Huang
- CBS News: Did Jensen Huang Just Destroy America's AI Advantage?
- CBS News: 11/11: CBS Evening News
- NPR: Casualties continue to rise after Brooklyn building collapses
- Semafor: Nvidia board prepares to oust CEO, name interim chief
- The Guardian: ‘Who will be held accountable?’: fatal Brooklyn building collapse devastates community
- The Independent: Witnesses who watched a Brooklyn building come crashing down felt helpless amid the chaos
- The Independent: Construction worker with pregnant wife identified as one of eight people killed in New York City building collapse
- Time: Brooklyn Apartment Building Collapses, Killing 8: What To Know
Center (11)
- BBC News: What we know about Brooklyn building collapse that killed eight people
- BBC News: 'How does a building just fall?' Neighbours grieve after deadly Brooklyn building collapse
- Forbes: Nvidia Hires Law Firm Once Retained By Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani Amid Jensen Huang Affair Scandal
- Las Vegas Review-Journal: Brooklyn building collapse killed 2 children and 6 adults, mayor says
- NewsNation: Victims killed in New York building collapse identified
- NewsNation: Brooklyn building collapse: What we know about the victims
- Newsweek: New York Building Collapse: Planning Docs Raised Concerns Ahead of Tragedy
- The Seattle Times: Witnesses who watched a Brooklyn building come crashing down felt helpless amid the chaos
- The Wall Street Journal: Law Firm Wachtell Lipton to Lead Nvidia Internal Investigation
- The Wall Street Journal: Law Firm Wachtell Lipton to Lead Nvidia Internal Investigation
- UPI: Death toll up to at least 8 in Brooklyn building collapse
Conservative (19)
- Breitbart News: Update: Death Toll Rises to 8 in Brooklyn Building Collapse, Alleged Violations at Adjacent Construction Site Under Investigation
- Breitbart News: Nvidia Board Hires Former Prosecutor to Probe Jensen Huang's China Spy Scandal
- Daily Caller: Building Collapse Leaves 8 Dead, First Responders Scrambling To Rescue Survivors
- Fox News: NYC building collapse: Timeline of deadly disaster as rescuers race to pull survivors from rubble
- Just the News: Firefighters pull pregnant woman from rubble of collapsed Brooklyn building
- Just the News: Mamdani vows to investigate 100 construction sites in wake of New York City building collapse
- New York Post: Excavation work eyed as potential cause of devastating Brooklyn building collapse that killed 8
- New York Post: Dozens forced from homes as NYC checks buildings near deadly Brooklyn collapse for risk of falling
- New York Post: Dramatic video shows moment Brooklyn building collapses, killing at least 8
- New York Post: Two children among 8 dead in Brooklyn building collapse as search and rescue efforts continue
- New York Post: Nvidia taps lawyer who investigated Andrew Cuomo to probe Jensen Huang’s Chinese ‘spy’ scandal as board faces scrutiny
- RedState: Brooklyn Building Collapse Kills 8, Injures 17 As Rescuers Search for Survivors
- RedState: Report: Alice Huang Is in China, Jensen Huang Is in Hot Water, and Nvidia Has Some Explaining to Do
- The Center Square: Mamdani launches probe of NYC buildings after collapse kills 8
- The Daily Wire: Death Toll Rises In NYC Collapse As Next-Door Site’s Safety Record Comes Under Fire
- The Epoch Times: Day in Photos: Brooklyn Building Collapse, Heavy Rainfall in France, and Meteorite Exhibition
- The Epoch Times: New York City Investigating Brooklyn Building Collapse That Killed 8, Injured 18
- The Epoch Times: NYC Officials Provide Update on Deadly Brooklyn Building Collapse
- Washington Examiner: Eight dead, including two children, in Brooklyn apartment collapse
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