Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is at the center of a scandal after admitting to having an affair with a Chinese entrepreneur alleged to be a spy. Revelations from The New York Times, confirmed by an email the executive sent to his colleagues, have fueled a wave of mockery on social media, where numerous memes feature him.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits an affair with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy.
- AI-generated memes mock him and his wife, Lori Huang, in sexist terms.
- An independent investigation is underway, and the affair may threaten national security.
- Nvidia’s stock has fallen 17% in five days.
AI-generated memes
Most of these creations were produced using artificial intelligence. Their authors competed in ingenuity to create visuals or videos using the faces of the protagonists in the affair, and did so without their consent. Some posts go further and target Jensen Huang’s wife, Lori Huang. They rely on the fact that tech CEOs are mostly married to Asian women, and have a sexist tone. Some mock the fortune Lori Huang could gain from a divorce.
An investigation and espionage accusations
Jensen Huang is the subject of an independent investigation launched by his own company. He initially denied the affair, but that is not the only problem. Through this extramarital relationship, he may have posed a serious risk to national security.
Alice Huang, who is no relation to the executive, is allegedly a Chinese spy, according to a report from US intelligence. Through an opaque company based in Singapore, she is said to have ordered over $7 billion worth of Nvidia chips, before having them shipped to China, thereby bypassing US sanctions. She is also alleged to have used her relationship with Jensen Huang to obtain information subsequently passed to the Chinese government, which has denied the claims.
According to the same report, Donald Trump, having been informed, allegedly did nothing to change the situation or warn the executive. The US president has nevertheless defended Jensen Huang, stating that he “had absolutely no idea” of his mistress’s true nature.
Investors remain on edge nonetheless. Nvidia’s stock has lost 17% in the space of 5 days.
