Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is facing a second affair allegation, this time involving Kimberly Powell, the company’s vice-president of healthcare, who reportedly worked directly under him.
BY PC BUREAU
November 12 – Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is facing a second extramarital affair allegation, this time involving a senior executive at the artificial intelligence chipmaker who reportedly reported directly to him.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice-president of healthcare, citing five people who had worked at the company. The revelation comes just days after Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to Nvidia employees, following reports about his relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US authorities of having links to Beijing’s intelligence network.
The latest allegation has intensified scrutiny of Huang’s personal conduct, raised questions about Nvidia’s workplace policies and added to the uncertainty surrounding the leadership of a company at the centre of the global artificial intelligence industry.
According to the New York Times, two of its sources said a video showed Huang, 63, and Powell, 48, being affectionate at a hotel in San Jose, California, during an Nvidia conference in March.
The newspaper, however, said it had not seen the footage itself.
Both Huang and Powell are married to other people. The reported relationship had also been a subject of discussion among Nvidia employees, according to the five people cited by the newspaper.
When approached by the New York Times by telephone and asked about Powell, Huang reportedly responded: “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly,” before ending the call.
Nvidia declined to comment on the allegation, while Powell did not immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.
🚨 BREAKING: KIMBERLY POWELL REPORTEDLY BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS AS SHE ADDRESSES ALLEGATIONS LINKING HER TO NVIDIA CEO JENSEN HUANG!
“I am deeply hurt by everything that has happened. America has misunderstood this situation, and I never imagined that my professional relationship with Jensen Huang would turn into such a painful public controversy. Let me make this clear: I am not having an affair with Jensen Huang.
I have dedicated years of my life to building my career at Nvidia. I have worked incredibly hard to earn my position, and it breaks my heart to see my reputation questioned over allegations that do not reflect my understanding of the situation.
What hurts me most is knowing that my family and loved ones are also being dragged into this controversy. They do not deserve to experience this pain, and neither do I. Behind these headlines is a human being with feelings, dignity and a life outside the workplace.
Jensen Huang is my CEO, and we have worked together professionally for years. I understand that people have questions, but professional relationships should not automatically be turned into allegations of romantic involvement. I am asking everyone to stop judging me before the facts are established.
I never wanted to become the centre of a public scandal. All I want is for the truth to be heard, my privacy to be respected and the years of hard work I have invested in my career not to be destroyed by speculation. Please remember that words can deeply hurt people.”
$NVDA #Jensen #KimberlyPowell
— Brims (@BrimsCr7) November 12, 2026
Who is Kimberly Powell?
Powell is a senior Nvidia executive who has spent nearly two decades at the company and oversees its healthcare business.
She joined Nvidia in 2008 and has played a significant role in developing the company’s presence in healthcare, medical imaging and scientific research.
Nvidia has been expanding the application of its graphics processing units and artificial intelligence technology beyond conventional computing, including into medical imaging, drug discovery, biological research and healthcare systems.
Powell’s responsibilities include promoting the use of Nvidia’s computing platforms in these fields and developing relationships with institutions and businesses working on healthcare technologies.
She graduated from Boston University and subsequently attended the MIT Sloan School of Management, completing her management studies in 2007.
Her professional career at Nvidia saw her rise through the company’s management structure. Her LinkedIn profile lists her promotion to senior director of artificial intelligence business development in 2016. By late 2017, she had become vice-president of healthcare.
Powell has also represented Nvidia at international technology conferences and industry events.
At Nvidia’s annual GTC developer conference in San Jose in March, she spoke about the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate advances in healthcare and biology. Her presentation reportedly included cartoon images of Huang.
Questions over executive-subordinate relationship
The reported relationship has also brought Nvidia’s workplace policies into focus.
According to the New York Times, Powell reported directly to Huang, making the alleged relationship particularly sensitive from a corporate governance perspective.
Relationships between senior executives and employees in their reporting chains can raise concerns about conflicts of interest, preferential treatment, workplace fairness and the potential misuse of managerial authority.
Nvidia’s code of conduct requires employees to avoid conflicts involving personal relationships and provides for the investigation of reported misconduct.
The central question for the company’s board is whether the reported relationship violated internal policies or created circumstances that could expose Nvidia to legal or governance risks.
There is, however, no public finding that Huang or Powell violated company rules.
NVidia CEO’s Second controversy follows Alice Huang revelations
The latest allegation comes amid an increasingly damaging controversy surrounding Huang’s reported relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence officials reportedly suspected of having links to Beijing’s intelligence apparatus.
Alice Huang is not related to Jensen Huang.
Reports about their relationship had raised questions about whether the Nvidia chief could have been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation, given the strategic importance of the company’s advanced artificial intelligence chips.
Nvidia’s processors are among the most sought-after components in the global AI industry. Their sale to Chinese companies is subject to US export restrictions, making the possibility of foreign intelligence access to corporate information particularly sensitive.
Following the initial revelations, Huang acknowledged his infidelity in a message to Nvidia employees.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.
He also accepted responsibility for the consequences of his actions and said he remained committed to Nvidia.
The company subsequently announced an independent investigation into reports that its chief executive had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
The inquiry is being overseen by a committee of independent directors, supported by external legal counsel.
Nvidia has said it has no reason to believe that company secrets or US national security have been compromised.
Boardroom crisis and mounting pressure
The second affair allegation has emerged at a particularly difficult moment for Huang, whose leadership is now attracting scrutiny from the company’s board, lawmakers and investors.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Nvidia’s board was preparing to consider Huang’s future and could move to remove him as chief executive.
READ: India Overhauls Visa Rules: 13 Categories Cut To Nine
The report, which cited people familiar with the matter, said the board was preparing to meet to discuss the leadership question.
Reuters reported that it could not independently verify the developments. Nvidia had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
The reports triggered further volatility in Nvidia shares, which fell sharply in extended trading on Wednesday. The stock was already under pressure following the revelations concerning Alice Huang and the resulting investigation.
Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and has led its transformation from a graphics-chip manufacturer into a dominant supplier of processors used to train and operate artificial intelligence systems.
His leadership has been central to Nvidia’s extraordinary rise during the AI boom, turning the company into one of the world’s most valuable businesses.
The latest allegations, however, have shifted attention from Huang’s business achievements to questions about his personal conduct, executive accountability and the potential consequences for corporate governance at Nvidia.
For the board, the challenge is no longer limited to assessing the national security concerns surrounding the Alice Huang relationship. It must also consider the implications of the newly reported relationship with a senior executive who allegedly worked directly under the chief executive.
Neither the alleged relationship with Powell nor the reported circumstances surrounding it have been independently established by the newspaper through the video footage it described.
But the allegations have added another layer to a crisis that threatens to become one of the most consequential leadership controversies in the history of the technology industry.
