Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hired a crisis communications firm known for handling sex scandals at least a year before he publicly admitted to an extramarital affair, according to Wired. The woman linked to the affair is suspected of spying for China.
The firm, Heller Inc., was brought in after an October 2025 news report raised questions about Nvidia chips reaching China. Nvidia confirmed the affair on Sunday, November 8, 2026, in a statement from Huang.
A Crisis Firm Hired Early
Wired reported that Nvidia’s internal communications team was told to copy Heller Inc. on press questions about Huang. That instruction came shortly after a New York Times report published in October 2025.
The Times report looked at whether Nvidia was helping Chinese companies get around US chip export rules. It said Megaspeed, a then little-known Singapore-based data center company with ties to China, had acquired nearly $2 billion worth of Nvidia chips.
The same report described Megaspeed CEO Alice Huang standing next to Jensen Huang at a Taipei gathering of Nvidia customers. The two are not related.
Heller Inc. was founded by Risa Heller. A 2023 New York Magazine profile said she has advised prominent men through personal scandals and sexual misconduct accusations.
Her reported clients include former congressman Anthony Weiner, celebrity chef Mario Batali and former New Yorker writer Jeffrey Toobin. Heller and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Chips, China and Megaspeed
Nvidia makes the leading chips used to build AI systems, and demand for them has been very high. A single unit of its latest data center hardware starts at about $50,000, according to the BBC.
The US government first banned exports of Nvidia’s newer chips to China. The aim was to stop China from using their more advanced capabilities, though the rules have since been eased slightly.
Bloomberg reported that Megaspeed bought billions of dollars worth of Nvidia technology in November 2025. Megaspeed denies that it was used for any improper purpose.
China has denied that Alice Huang was engaged in spying. It is not known when the affair began or ended, though photos and videos show the pair together at events.
Jensen Huang, 63, has pushed for looser export rules between the US and China. He told the BBC last year that it was possible for both President Trump and President Xi to see their countries win.
US President Donald Trump responded to a BBC question about the situation by saying, “He’s suffering.” Nvidia shares fell after news of the investigation broke.
Nvidia says there is no evidence so far that Huang passed on any information. The company has launched an internal investigation into the matter.
Huang has said he will cooperate and wants to keep his job. Nvidia’s code of conduct states that company members should not have relationships with clients.
In his Sunday statement, Huang acknowledged an affair with a former Megaspeed executive but did not name Alice Huang. Nvidia’s board separately announced an independent investigation, citing reports that Huang “has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.”
