Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang found support from Elon Musk and Bill Ackman after admitting to having an affair with a suspected Chinese spy. In a message to company employees released Sunday, Huang acknowledged the affair and apologized to both his family and company staff.
"I was unfaithful to my wife," he said. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
Huang, 63, has been married to his wife Lori for the last 41 years. After he admitted to an affair with Alice Huang (no relation) on Sunday, Nvidia’s board announced it had opened an investigation into reports that CEO Jensen Huang was the “target of a foreign intelligence effort”.
(Also read: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledges affair with alleged Chinese spy as tech giant launches probe)
Elon Musk, Bill Ackman voice support
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Pershing Square Capital CEO Bill Ackman were among the high-profile voices who spoke in support of Jensen Huang after he admitted to the affair.
{{/usCountry}}Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Pershing Square Capital CEO Bill Ackman were among the high-profile voices who spoke in support of Jensen Huang after he admitted to the affair.
{{/usCountry}}American hedge fund manager Bill Ackman described Huang as an “incredible” human who made a “mistake”.
“Jensen Huang is human. And he is an incredible human. Even incredible humans make mistakes,” wrote Ackman. “He takes full responsibility as he should. We should all support him and his family. Onward,” he added.
Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire defended the CEO of Nvidia by claiming that he did something “dumb” but without ill intent. It was a sentiment that Elon Musk agreed with.
“Jensen is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of this generation. He did something incredibly dumb. It was bad for America, but my guess is there was no bad intention,” wrote Maguire. “Two mistakes don’t make a right, and I believe Jensen is irreplaceable for America’s AI leadership.”
Elon Musk added a two-word response: “I agree”.
Jensen Huang’s apology
In a letter to Nvidia employees obtained by The Associated Press, Huang said he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family and colleagues. He said he took "full responsibility" for his actions.
"Leading Nvidia is the privilege of my life," Huang wrote. "My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility."
The Times reported last month that US intelligence agencies had found that Huang had developed a close relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen who works as a chip buyer. Intelligence officials reportedly concluded that she was passing information directly to Beijing. The two are not related, the newspaper clarified.
Before entering the technology industry, Alice Huang worked as a television journalist in China. She later joined Singapore-based data centre operator Megaspeed, where she rose to a top executive position.
Megaspeed has since become one of Nvidia's largest customers in Southeast Asia, having purchased chips worth over $4.8 billion from the company in the last two years, The Times reported.
(With inputs from AP)