“I’m a terrible person!” The inside story of Jensen Huang’s final hours before resigning is exposed

Original author: Long Yue

Original source: Wallstreetcn

Late at night on November 11, US Eastern Time, Nvidia's board of directors concluded its remote meeting, and Jensen Huang's 33-year tenure as CEO came to an end.

After weeks of denial and resistance, Jensen Huang completely gave up that night. He "looked broken and heartbroken, his signature energy drained." He began frequently saying things like "whatever" and "I don't care."—extremely rare for a founder who once managed nearly 60 direct reports with meticulous attention to detail.

On November 13, Bloomberg published an in-depth report reconstructing the inside story of the final hours before Nvidia founder Jensen Huang resigned as CEO.

According to the report, people who spoke with him recently also revealed that Jensen Huang began harshly berating himself, saying things like: "I'm a Piece of Sh--."

Admitting the Affair

The starting point of this whole saga was late October. At the time, media outlets reported that Jensen Huang had a close relationship with a woman named Alice Huang (Huang Le). But Jensen Huang kept denying it.

The trail can even be traced back to late 2025. At that time, people inside Nvidia had already raised questions about Jensen Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, and Jensen Huang had consistently insisted he was loyal to his wife. In his final public interviews as CEO, he also told Bloomberg that his interactions with Alice Huang were no different from those with other clients and corporate executives.

"Everything is completely normal, nothing unusual at all." That was his statement at the time.

The turning point came on November 6. The UK's Financial Times, citing US officials, reported that the two were in a romantic relationship.

Shortly after the report was published, Nvidia's general counsel Tim Teter personally went to Jensen Huang's home to confront him face to face. This time, Jensen Huang admitted it.

Most directors at this point still did not want to make a public statement. But Teter, who also serves as board secretary, made it clear to the board: action must be taken.

On November 7, Nvidia announced it was launching an investigation, hiring the prominent law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to lead it.

On November 8, Jensen Huang sent an email to all employees, publicly acknowledging the extramarital affair, apologizing to his family, and pledging to "fully cooperate" with the board's investigation.

Meeting Through the Night

The scandal did not subside there.

On November 11, The New York Times further disclosed that Jensen Huang also had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, vice president of Nvidia's healthcare business.

This time, the board did not hesitate.

The directors quickly convened a remote meeting that day, with discussions continuing late into the night. The final outcome: Jensen Huang was asked to resign, and he had no other choice.

With that, Jensen Huang's 33-year tenure as Nvidia CEO came to an end. He also exited the board and no longer holds any management or director positions.

In the final hours before his resignation, Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that in the eyes of onlookers, Jensen Huang "had already given up."

After Jensen Huang's resignation, a third extramarital affair was also exposed. According to Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter, Jensen Huang had been intimately involved with a second employee besides Kimberly Powell. The media did not disclose the name of this (second) employee and was unable to reach her.

Notably, several articles about the Wednesday night board meeting were co-written by Washington-based reporters—journalists who do not normally cover Nvidia. This has led to speculation about whether the White House leaked information to the media to pressure Jensen Huang into resigning. The answers to these questions remain unverifiable at present.

Email Replies Began to Slow

The impact of the scandal also quietly seeped into the details of Nvidia's daily operations.

Nvidia employs an unconventional management structure: approximately 60 executives report directly to Jensen Huang. The company requires all employees to submit their five most important work tasks via email for Jensen Huang to review progress and priorities.

In the past, Jensen Huang handled these emails around the clock, whether during the day or late at night, often replying very quickly.

But Bloomberg's report noted that in the days before his resignation, his reply speed slowed noticeably.

This detail echoes another passage from Bloomberg's original report: Jensen Huang was known for his attention to detail—"from chip architecture to the compensation packages of the company's most junior employees"—everything was within his purview.

Congressional Testimony Awaits Him; He Says He "Doesn't Care Anymore"

Leaving the Nvidia CEO position does not mean Jensen Huang can disappear from public view.

According to Bloomberg, he is expected to testify before the US Congress on November 18 next week. Lawmakers will focus on questioning him about his relationship with Alice Huang and whether that relationship compromised Nvidia's advanced chip technology secrets.

And according to people who have spoken with Jensen Huang recently, he has already claimed he does not care what happens to him next. He said his biggest concern now is his wife, and that this scandal should not "ruin" the lives of the women publicly associated with him.

What's Next for Nvidia

After Jensen Huang's departure, the biggest challenge facing Nvidia's board is finding a true successor.

External potential candidates currently drawing attention include AMD CEO Lisa Su and Arm CEO Rene Haas. Internally, the most frequently mentioned are Ian Buck, a 22-year Nvidia veteran widely regarded as the architect of CUDA, and Jonah Alben, senior vice president of GPU engineering.

For now, Nvidia's veteran CFO Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO. She will temporarily lead Nvidia while the company searches for Jensen Huang's successor. Meanwhile, the company also appointed its first-ever chairman: 73-year-old director Harvey Jones, who previously led chip design software maker Synopsys Inc.

After the news was announced, Nvidia's stock price fell about 10% to around $156, dropping below its 52-week low, with approximately $420 billion in market value wiped out in a single day. Several Wall Street investment banks promptly cut their target prices, but the vast majority maintained buy ratings, with the core logic being that "orders are booked through 2028, and fundamentals are secure in the near term."

But as Bloomberg pointed out, Jensen Huang previously simultaneously handled multiple roles—technology research and development, corporate management, marketing, government lobbying, and brand ambassador. It is hard to imagine anyone who could fully fill that void. And Nvidia had never previously established a formal CEO succession plan.