Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns in blow to AI boom he helped foster

Detailed summary

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stepped down on Thursday after revelations of extramarital affairs, including one involving a suspected Chinese spy, plunged the chipmaker ...

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stepped down on Thursday after revelations of extramarital affairs, including one involving a suspected Chinese spy, plunged the chipmaker into crisis and sent shockwaves across an AI industry he helped bankroll.

Huang's exit caps a tumultuous week for Nvidia, one of the major engines behind the AI boom, and could have far-reaching consequences for US chip export policy and the broader AI ecosystem, given the ex-CEO's push to preserve access to the Chinese market as well as his close ties with US President Donald Trump. Trump, in fact, had urged Huang to fight for his job in a call on Tuesday, the New York Times reported.

Lawmakers from both parties have called for tougher restrictions on China's access to advanced AI chips in the wake of the scandal, and US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday said there was a growing consensus on limiting chip exports.

Huang also had an intimate relationship with a second Nvidia employee, according to two people familiar with the matter. Reuters is not naming the woman, and attempts to reach her were not successful. Nvidia declined to comment.

The crisis has threatened to implicate some Trump administration members, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who is facing growing questions over the administration's oversight of chip sales to China, particularly as both he and Huang pushed for relaxing those sales despite scrutiny from longtime China hawks in both parties. The Commerce Department did not immediately comment.

Senior White House officials are discussing whether Lutnick should be pushed out, two people familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lutnick's future. Earlier, a White House official said Trump "maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position."

Huang's departure threatens to disrupt an AI ecosystem that he helped shape by pouring Nvidia's…

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