Nvidia scandal. Woman accused of espionage returns to China

The effects of the espionage scandal that shook the US chip manufacturer Nvidia, the first company in the world with a market value exceeding 5 trillion dollars, continue to grow.

The woman, with whom Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to having an affair and allegedly leaked intelligence to China, returned to her hometown Beijing. In Bloomberg News' report, it was stated that espionage suspect Alice Huang was living in Beijing with the knowledge of security officials.

WILL HE BE DISMISSED?

The board of directors of Nvidia, whose market value decreased by approximately $ 600 billion in a few days after the scandal, convened to decide whether to dismiss Huang, the company's long-serving CEO.

There is no obvious successor to co-founder Huang in the company, which launched an investigation following the US intelligence report alleging espionage. Huang owns about 3.6 percent of Nvidia shares. Bloomberg, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that Nvidia's board of directors is working with an outside company to identify names that could replace Huang.

HE ADMITTED THAT HE CHEATED ON HIS WIFE

In his message to company employees, 63-year-old Jensen Huang admitted that he had an extramarital affair and apologized to his family. Huang said, "I was not faithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am very sorry." he said.

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION

Nvidia's board of directors announced in a statement published on Sunday that an independent investigation was launched following news that the company's founder and CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The company statement emphasized that there is no reason to believe that the national security of the United States or Nvidia's trade secrets have been compromised. However, it was noted that all available information regarding the allegations will be examined.

TRUMP: AN HONORABLE PERSON

US President Donald Trump also made a statement about the allegations against Nvidia CEO. Describing Huang as an honorable person, Trump said that the Nvidia CEO is carrying out successful work.

Trump responded to the question of whether Huang would attend his visit to China by stating that he could take him with him. According to the New York Times, Trump was informed about the intelligence findings regarding Huang's relationship with the Chinese businessman about a year ago, but did not take any action. Trump also stated that he did not regret not taking action on this issue.

CHINA REJECTED THE CLAIMS

The Beijing administration rejected the allegations that Alice Huang was operating on behalf of Chinese intelligence. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun argued at a press conference on Monday that the so-called Chinese spy narrative was a completely baseless smear attempt.

Republican committee chairmen in the US House of Representatives requested that Jensen Huang attend a closed-door briefing in Congress on November 18. In the letter sent by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, China Special Committee Chairman John Moolenaar and Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, Huang was asked to provide information about his relationship with Alice Huang and the security protocols Nvidia implemented against foreign intelligence activities.