What is alleged?
Citing five anonymous sources inside NVIDIA, the New York Times reported that CEO Jensen Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, the company's vice president of health care, who reported directly to him. According to the report, the two were "captured on video being affectionate" in March at a hotel in San Jose, where the company's GTC conference takes place.
Alleged cover-up
The newspaper says a hotel employee filmed the moment on a smartphone, and that Huang's security team "sequestered" the person and offered them a nondisclosure agreement.
Company rules and precedent
NVIDIA's code of conduct flags personal relationships as a potential source of conflicts of interest. The Times notes that former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned in 2018 after a relationship with an employee. Powell joined NVIDIA in 2008 and has been steadily promoted. NVIDIA did not respond to Tom's Hardware's request for comment.
The wider scandal
The report follows Huang's admission, in an email to employees, of an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, formerly a top executive at Singaporean firm Megaspeed and believed by U.S. intelligence to be a spy. NVIDIA's board is investigating that affair while Huang continues to run the company. Shareholder lawsuits, including a proposed class action, and a closed-door session request from the Congressional House committee on China are also in play.
