Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has admitted to having an affair with a Chinese businesswoman who investigators believe is a spy. Experts say the tech titan should have known he was a vulnerable target.
Political science experts and former government officials say that is especially true given the unprecedented levels of investment in artificial intelligence, and amid intense competition between the US and China to lead in the field.
"Of course adversary actors are going to come after AI leaders in the US to get as much information and access to the what they think is classified information," said Craig Albert, director of national defence studies at Augusta University in Georgia.
Prof Albert, who also specialises in cyber security, said it's clear that Mr Huang fell into the "honeytrap that these leaders are likely to fall into".
"This is one of the go-to operations that China prefers to execute, especially with the US, and it happens both in person and online," he said, noting how coveted US AI tech intelligence is, especially by China.
Prof Albert says it is possible Mr Huang had been warned by US intelligence officials or private security staff to be on the lookout for this sort of tactic, as it has become relatively standard operating procedure.
Even students travelling abroad are often briefed on the possibility of becoming subject to flirtation, he said.
"You should probably pay attention to that type of thing," Prof Albert said.
He said that despite Nvidia's initial insistence that no US national security or crucial technology information was compromised, China probably emerged with at least something.
"I'm pretty sure Jensen doesn't have security clearance of any kind, but this is still a pretty successful operation depending on how long those two have been acquaintances," he said, referring to Mr Huang and alleged spy Alice Huang, an executive for Megaspeed, which has been accused of transferring technology to China.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has thus far denied accusations about the entire ordeal.
"It is nothing but smears against China," an official with the country's Foreign Ministry said during a video address on Monday.
But Prof Albert said China has perfected the "honeytrap" over hundreds of years.
"This is their bread and butter," he said. "It's much easier for authoritarian regimes to do it."
The confession from Mr Huang on Sunday comes after a series of recent concerns raised about Nvidia.
Last week, the House of Representatives select committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent Mr Huang a letter requesting that he appear at a closed-door briefing.
The letter, dated Wednesday and signed by the chairmen of the House foreign affairs committee, Brian Mast, and the permanent select committee on intelligence, Eric Crawford, says Congress is seeking to learn more about “Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage” and his reported interactions with Ms Huang.
That letter was sent before Mr Huang admitted to having an extramarital affair.
Mr Mast, Mr Crawford and their fellow Republican representative John Moolenaar, told the Nvidia boss in the letter that they have long been concerned about alleged Chinese espionage and the possibility that it could result in the country gaining access to “cutting-edge US technology”.
“Congress determines the extent to which US national security has been placed at risk,” the letter read. The authors asked Mr Huang to appear and discuss his interactions with the alleged Chinese agent on November 18.
On Monday, the US select committee on the CCP posted on X: "In case you missed it," along with a copy of the letter in which Mr Huang's appearance was requested last week.
Trump reacts
US President Donald Trump, who has not been shy about occasionally meeting with and speaking to Mr Huang throughout his second term in the White House, said that he spoke with Nvidia's embattled chief executive on Monday.
President Trump told reporters that he still believes that Mr Huang is an "honourable guy", and that he respected what Nvidia's chief executive has built over the years.
Mr Trump also told reporters that Mr Huang said that he had no idea that Alice Huang was a spy.
"I believe him," President Trump added.
Yet President Trump has also been caught up in the controversy in recent months due to his frequent interactions with Nvidia's chief executive where some said that he was too quick to weaken US chip export policies at the request of Mr Huang.
Nvidia fallout
On Sunday, shortly after Mr Huang admitted to his staff that he had been unfaithful to his wife, the company's board of directors announced it was launching an independent investigation with the help of an outside company to determine what transpired and if there should be any repercussions.
"The board prioritises US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of Nvidia and its shareholders," a statement read.
It was alluding to concerns raised by elected officials for several years that Nvidia's push to relax certain technology export policies for China could harm the US.
On Sunday, Nvidia's board said that while it had "no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the board's inquiry will examine all available information".
The actions of Mr Huang, who has been one of the most powerful and wealthy tech executives speaking out against strict US technology export policies, have prompted calls for him to face consequences.
Chris McGuire, a senior fellow for emerging technologies at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in Washington, was straighforward.
"You have the CEO of one of the biggest companies in America, that is potentially compromised by the Chinese and they have some information on him – it really needs to be looked into," he told Bloomberg.
Earlier on X, Mr McGuire said some members of the administration of US President Donald Trump had tried to convey that Mr Huang had been compromised, while other Trump appointees seemed to disregard it.
Meanwhile, Mr Huang, who has developed a healthy fan base, seems to have dented that loyalty with his recent disclosure.
"On Friday, I defended Jensen and said he was faithful to his wife. I was wrong, and I own that," Ben Pouladian, an entrepreneur and investor, wrote on X. "As a husband and father of three, I believe infidelity hurts families, I’m disappointed."
Despite the backlash, Mr Huang is still chief executive of Nvidia.
"Jensen is committed to continuing to lead," Nvidia said in a statement to The National, adding that his tenure would continue "without interruption".
Yet with Democrats set to take control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate in January, and some Republicans already eager to learn more about what happened between Nvidia and China, there is no guarantee that Mr Huang will escape unscathed.
Experts say people outside of Nvidia might also be implicated.
"My own sense is that what we are heading into is one of the most serious investigative efforts in a substantial period, and the question that will be asked is at what point did the US government know about the alleged connections between Jensen and an intelligence asset?" a former senior US official told reporters on Monday.
"Was [Mr Trump] warned? Did he continue to have interactions with [Mr Huang]? Do we think that there was an impact on his policy towards the US because of those interactions?"
Mr Trump was asked about the news surrounding Mr Huang on Sunday night.
"I just know he’s a fine person but you never know what is going on," he said. "I hope everything’s fine but he’s done such an incredible job."
Kyle Fitzgerald contributed to this report.
