Story
Nov 10, 2026
Rubio’s Spy Warning Collided With Trump’s Bet on Nvidia
The reported warning exposed a collision inside the administration: security officials saw a potential counterintelligence risk around a pivotal tech executive, while Trump continued to treat Nvidia’s commercial strength as an asset in the contest with China.
U.S. intelligence had reportedly been monitoring Alice Huang, a Chinese national and Singapore-based executive whose company, Megaspeed, was buying advanced Nvidia chips while under scrutiny for suspected smuggling to China. Officials concluded she had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security and had a close relationship with Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, according to people briefed on the matter.1
That intelligence was reportedly known to President Donald Trump about a year ago. Surveillance showed Huang’s relationship with an American citizen; when officials sought to identify him, the person was said to be Nvidia’s CEO. Trump took no action, viewing Nvidia’s chips as indispensable to the U.S. competition with China and the company’s success as important to market strength.1
This spring, ahead of Trump’s May China trip, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly oversaw a highly classified memo warning senior administration officials about the relationship. The timing sharpened an existing policy divide: Huang had opposed tighter limits on advanced AI-chip exports and pushed to sell all but the newest technology to China, while some officials worried about his influence over relatively light AI regulation.1
Huang was initially left off the delegation for the China visit, though it remains unclear whether the memo played any role. After reports of his absence, Trump asked him to join the trip during an Alaska stopover, praising the “great Jensen Huang” in a planned social-media message.1
The episode became public after Huang acknowledged an intimate relationship with Alice Huang and apologized to his family: “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children.”1 Nvidia said it had opened an investigation, but maintained there was “no reason to believe national security or Nvidia’s confidential information was compromised.” The company also said Huang’s interactions with her were not unusual and that customers such as Megaspeed did not have access to confidential business information.1