Bloomberg reveals the behind-the-scenes events leading to the Nvidia founder’s departure, his confession to the company’s chief legal officer, his changing behaviour and the succession battle, as he worries about his wife ahead of congressional testimony.

Jensen Huang seemed like a different man during his final days at Nvidia. The man once renowned for his energy was now devastated and emotionally shattered by a wave of revelations about his private life and their direct connection to US national security concerns. After weeks of denying allegations of infidelity and fighting to retain his position as chief executive of the company he had founded more than three decades earlier, his surrender late on Wednesday night was unconditional.

As one person familiar with the events told Bloomberg, he appeared so lost that he had begun using expressions such as “whatever” and “I don’t care”.

At the end, Jensen Huang looked broken and shattered, his legendary energy depleted. After weeks spent denying the allegations of infidelity and fighting to remain in his job as Nvidia CEO, his surrender late Wednesday night was unconditional. Huang’s usual take-charge demeanor had evaporated, according to a source, and he’d started using phrases like “whatever” and “I don’t care.” Read more: https://t.co/OBSSn5ISdE 📷️: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg

— Bloomberg (@business) November 13, 2026

For 33 years, during which he transformed Nvidia into an artificial intelligence semiconductor giant worth several trillion dollars, Huang had been known for his obsession with even the smallest details, from chip architecture to the compensation packages of even the company’s most junior employees. Now, in the eyes of those who were in the room with him, he had given up trying altogether.

According to people who have spoken to him in recent days, cited by Bloomberg, Huang has already adopted an attitude of remorse, harshly criticising himself and describing himself as “a piece of sh–”.

The downfall was remarkably swift for a billionaire and one of the technology industry’s most powerful figures, who just two weeks earlier had been the global face of artificial intelligence. Through his directness and dynamism, he had won over US President Donald Trump, influenced the direction of global technology policy and attracted crowds of admirers during international tours that resembled papal visits.

From a technological perspective, today’s artificial intelligence boom would probably not have happened without Huang, Nvidia and its chips. What nobody can now predict is how the industry will develop without the man who helped build it. As Harvey Jones, chairman of Nvidia’s board of directors, wrote in an email to employees following Huang’s departure: “Jensen’s contribution to Nvidia is enormous. Nvidia is one of the most important technology companies in the world.”

The relationship with the suspected spy and the confession to the chief legal officer

When it emerged in late October that Huang had maintained close ties with a woman suspected of spying for China, it initially appeared that he would be able to weather the crisis. Nvidia’s board of directors, dominated by longstanding investors, business associates and friends of Huang, was reluctant to respond to the reports or even comment publicly.

Most media outlets avoided explicitly describing the precise nature of the chief executive’s relationship with Alice Huang, the woman suspected of espionage. He himself assured friends and colleagues that he had not been unfaithful to his wife. He had made the same claim when questioned internally at the company as early as late 2025. In one of his final interviews as CEO, he told Bloomberg News that his relationship with Alice Huang was no different from those he maintained with Chinese customers and business executives. “It was all perfectly normal and nothing unusual,” he said.

The decisive turning point came on Friday, 6 November, when a Financial Times report cited US officials who said the relationship had been romantic. Shortly afterwards, Nvidia’s chief legal officer, Tim Teter, went to Huang’s home to confront him with the revelations, and Huang confessed.

At that stage, most board members still did not want to take a public position. However, Teter, who also serves as secretary to the board of directors, made it clear that they had to act.

The board announced that it would investigate the allegations, entrusting the inquiry to the prominent law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

On Sunday, Huang sent an email to all Nvidia employees admitting to the extramarital affair, apologising to his family and pledging to “cooperate fully” with the board’s investigation.

Delayed email responses and signs of the crisis

As the scandal continued to grow, there were indications that, perhaps understandably, it was distracting Huang from his extensive responsibilities at the company.

Under Nvidia’s unusual organisational structure, approximately 60 senior executives reported directly to Huang, a number equivalent to a small army by conventional management standards.

Everyone at the company was required to send emails outlining their five most important priorities, which Huang used to check that they were all working on what he considered most important.

Under normal circumstances, he would respond immediately, at any hour of the day or night. In recent days, however, his response times had begun to lengthen.

The second extramarital affair and the marathon board meeting

On Wednesday, the New York Times revealed that Huang had also been having an extramarital affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice-president for healthcare.

This time, the board moved quickly. Its members met remotely on Wednesday, with the meeting continuing late into the night.

In the end, Huang had no choice but to resign, leaving without retaining any official role at the company he had co-founded.

The following morning, the board announced that chief financial officer Colette Kress would take over as interim chief executive. Kress moved quickly to reassure employees, who had been unsettled by the developments.

“I believe deeply in this company and its future,” she wrote in an email obtained by Bloomberg. “Above all, I believe in each and every one of you, our customers and partners, and the vital role we play every day in the global economy. The board, the leadership team and I recognise that this has been an extraordinarily difficult period, and I want you to know how grateful we are for your resilience, professionalism and continued dedication. Thank you.”

She also pledged to hold an all-hands meeting with employees on 18 November.

A day earlier, Nvidia is due to report its financial results, which, according to Wall Street analysts’ forecasts, are expected to reveal that the growth rate of quarterly sales has almost doubled.

Nvidia’s next chapter and the potential successors

The board of directors now faces the difficult challenge of finding a replacement for Huang.

Among the executives considered likely to feature on the list of candidates are Lisa Su, chief executive of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Rene Haas, chief executive of Arm Holdings.

It is difficult to imagine anyone taking on all the roles Huang had combined in one person: technologist, business leader, company promoter, influential figure in policymaking circles and the very symbol of Nvidia itself.

After all, the company had never developed a conventional succession plan. For better or worse, Nvidia will now begin to resemble a more ordinary company, managed in a more conventional way.

Congressional testimony and concern for his wife

As for Huang himself, he will not be able to withdraw from public life, even if he wishes to do so.

In the coming weeks, he is expected to testify before Congress, where US lawmakers will question him about his relationship with Alice Huang and whether it may have compromised some of the secrets behind Nvidia’s most advanced chips.

According to people who have spoken to him in recent days, Huang now maintains that he does not care what happens to him personally. His main concern, he says, is his wife, as well as ensuring that he does not “destroy the lives” of the women with whom he has now been romantically linked in the public eye.