Susanne Nyström: Think that so many powerful men fall for something as banal as sex

Isn't it fascinating that powerful men, who seem to have it all, fall for something as banal as sex?

The latest in the line is tech giant Nvidia's CEO and founder, Jensen Huang, who has just announced his resignation following reports of several infidelities - including one with a woman who is being pointed out as a Chinese spy by US authorities.

This has already been called the world's most expensive infidelity deal, as the market value of his company fell dramatically just after the resignation announcement. And since Huang is one of the protagonists of the AI ​​era, while Nvidia has developed into a central player in the geopolitical power struggle between the US and China, it is a king who is being dethroned.

The event is sensational – but familiar at the same time.

For Huang is far from alone in his kind, although the information about Chinese espionage makes the affair extra remarkable. Many high-ranking men have been forced to resign for the same reason.

It happened to CIA Director David Petraeus in 2012, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock in 2021 and Norway's Defense Minister Odd Roger Enoksens in 2022, to take a few examples.

Nor is Jensen Huang unique in being caught in what appears to be a honey trap. The method is well known. Probably because it's often effective—except against French agents: Their wives already know they're unfaithful, as a French intelligence agent explained a few years ago.

The clearest example is ex-Prince Andrew, who not only lost his reputation, but also his royal titles, after a few too many scandals where the connections to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were the final straw.

And in Sweden, the most attention-grabbing case is probably when the designated executioner Hamid Noury was lured here in 2019 with promises of parties, women and a Finland cruise, after which he could later be convicted of gross violations of international law and murder after mass executions in Iran in 1988.

What the pattern is due to can of course be speculated on. But in common is that these are men who are used to providing themselves with what they want, without it having any consequences, even in cases when their actions exposed themselves to great risks.

The fact that that time - thank God - is over is not least evident in the fact that not even royalty these days gets away. The clearest example is ex-Prince Andrew, who not only lost his reputation, but also his royal titles, after a few too many scandals where the connections to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were the last straw. Compare it to the situation in the past, when the "bravado" of the royals as well as those of other dignitaries were easily swept under the carpet.

In this way, the clearest lesson from recent years is that today no one is safe. If both the AI ​​King and the British Prince can fall – then anyone can.