This story follows Awaaz Punjab's earlier reports on the Nvidia affair: on Sunday, November 8, Nvidia's board opened an independent investigation into reports that CEO Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort, and on Monday morning China publicly denied the spying allegation as a smear while Nvidia shares fell in premarket trading. On Monday afternoon the story escalated sharply: President Donald Trump confirmed at a White House briefing that the FBI is looking into Huang's affair, said he had spoken to Huang himself that day, and publicly backed him. Read the earlier report: China calls the Nvidia spy allegation a 'smear' as shares fall
WASHINGTON, Nov 9 — The FBI is investigating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese government agent, President Donald Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on Monday. 'I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else, and I think that he'll be in good shape,' Trump said, in remarks reported by the Associated Press. The president said he had spoken to Huang the same day: 'I did speak to him today just to see if he's feeling all right, how you're doing. He said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy.'
Source: Associated Press via AAP News, Nov 9, 2026
Trump's public intervention is itself extraordinary — a sitting president involving himself in a counterintelligence matter involving one of his closest allies in Silicon Valley, AP noted. Trump called Huang 'a very honourable man' and was noncommittal about raising the case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping when the two meet next week in Shenzhen, China, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. 'No, I don't think so,' he said. 'I mean, maybe. I'm sure President Xi will ask me about it. I just know Jensen very well.'
Source: Associated Press via AAP News, Nov 9, 2026
Shareholders sue; Congress wants answers
Nvidia shareholders moved quickly on Monday, filing a proposed class action against Huang and the company accusing them of defrauding shareholders by concealing Huang's ties with a suspected Chinese spy, Reuters reported. Lawmakers and advocates told Reuters that Congress is now more likely to pass legislation tightening China's access to advanced AI chips. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday that Congress needs more answers and called for the House to pass an annual defence bill that includes restrictions on chip sales to China. Democratic Senator Chris Coons posted on Monday that he is pushing for an investigation into whether US national security has been compromised.
Source: Reuters via Devdiscourse, Nov 9, 2026
What is alleged — and what Huang has said
The New York Times reported last month that US intelligence had determined the woman, Alice Huang — an unrelated former executive of Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed International — was gathering information for Beijing; Megaspeed has separately faced claims that it illicitly shipped advanced Nvidia computer chips into China. Huang has acknowledged he had been intimate with a business executive, apologising to his wife and to the company in an open letter posted on Nvidia's website; he did not name the woman. In that letter he wrote: 'I support the investigation and will cooperate fully. I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America's national security.' Nvidia's board, which announced its independent investigation on Sunday, has said it has confidence in Huang, Reuters reported, and the board has previously said it has no reason to believe Nvidia's secrets or national security were compromised.
Source: Associated Press via AAP News; Reuters via Devdiscourse, Nov 9, 2026
What is solid
- Trump confirmed at a White House briefing on Monday, Nov 9 that the FBI is looking into Huang's affair, and said he spoke to Huang the same day (AP, Reuters)
- Nvidia's board opened an independent investigation on Sunday into reports Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort
- Nvidia shares closed down more than 4% on Monday, and shareholders filed a proposed class action the same day (Reuters)
- China's Foreign Ministry denied the spying allegation on Monday, calling it unsubstantiated and a smear
What is only claimed
- The claim that Alice Huang gathered information for Beijing is a US intelligence assessment reported by The New York Times — it has not been proven in any public proceeding, and China denies it outright
- Whether any Nvidia technology or secrets were actually compromised — the board says it has no reason to believe they were; the FBI has announced no findings
- The New York Times reported Trump was briefed on the relationship earlier and chose not to act — a report the White House has not publicly confirmed
Why it reaches far beyond one company
Nvidia is one of the world's most valuable publicly traded companies, and its specialised chips power most of the world's leading AI systems — which is why its sales to China have repeatedly been targeted by US regulators trying to limit Beijing's access to the technology. Huang has also helped persuade Trump to take a lighter touch on regulating AI, Reuters reported, and in October Trump awarded him the nation's highest honour for scientific achievement; the same day, the president disclosed buying up to $1.6 million and selling up to $1 million of Nvidia shares during the summer. Analysts say the investigations create an overhang over the stock because Huang personally sets Nvidia's long-term strategy: 'Nvidia is not an ordinary company and Jensen is not an ordinary CEO; he is Nvidia,' said Stacy Rasgon of Bernstein, though most analysts do not expect the probe to force him out.
Source: Reuters via Devdiscourse, Nov 9, 2026
What happens next
Three tracks now run in parallel: the FBI's look at the affair, whose scope and timeline have not been announced; the board's independent investigation, overseen by a committee of independent directors with outside counsel; and the shareholders' proposed class action, which a court must still certify before it proceeds. In Congress, Jeffries' push links the affair to the annual defence bill and its China chip restrictions, which would need to pass both chambers. And next week in Shenzhen, Trump meets Xi Jinping — with the president openly unsure whether the case will come up. Awaaz Punjab will report each verified development as it lands.