After Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair last weekend, the company has launched an investigation and Huang has withdrawn from a series of public events. According to an IT之家 report on Nov 10, Huang has pulled out of the ElevenLabs summit due to be held in New York on Wednesday local time, a move confirmed by the voice AI company ElevenLabs on Monday. Huang also canceled speaking engagements at several other public events, including the Anthropic CEO forum. Nvidia is itself one of ElevenLabs' investors.
Background and company investigation
The string of withdrawals follows Huang's admission of the affair. Huang acknowledged an extramarital relationship with a woman, and Nvidia has opened an investigation focused on his relationship with her. According to BBC Technology, Huang is being investigated by his own company, and the woman involved is alleged to be a Chinese spy.
In an internal memo to employees, Huang wrote:
"I owe my family and everyone an apology. 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."
Industry impact and reaction
The affair has sent shockwaves through the AI industry and raised questions over whether Huang can continue as Nvidia CEO. As the head of the world's leading AI chip company, Huang's personal turmoil could have a potential impact on Nvidia's corporate governance and the AI supply chain. Nvidia has not yet released the findings of its investigation, and the fallout remains to be seen.