Story
Nov 12, 2026
Nvidia Board Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Over Jensen Huang
Nvidia’s leadership crisis has shifted from a private scandal to a boardroom test: critics see an alleged relationship with a direct report as a clear governance failure, while the company has yet to publicly answer the claims as its investigation proceeds.
The pressure on Nvidia’s board escalated Wednesday after reports said CEO Jensen Huang was alleged to have had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, the company’s vice president of healthcare and a direct report.
The allegation arrived only days after Huang acknowledged being unfaithful in a separate relationship that had already triggered an internal investigation. The New York Times report, as summarized by several outlets, said five company sources described Huang and Powell as having been filmed “being affectionate” at a San Jose hotel during Nvidia’s March developer conference. Both are married, according to the reports.1
Powell is not a peripheral employee. She joined Nvidia in 2008 and rose to lead its healthcare business, overseeing work spanning medical imaging, life sciences and drug discovery. Nvidia’s own code of conduct flags personal relationships as a potential conflict of interest and says misconduct reports are investigated promptly.2
That direct-reporting relationship is the crux of the board’s problem. “You can’t have a relationship like this with a direct report,” Georgetown business ethics professor Peter Jaworski told Axios, arguing that placing Huang on administrative leave while the inquiries run would be the minimum response.3
By Wednesday night, the scandal was also becoming a market event. Nvidia shares fell nearly 7% in after-hours trading, while reports said the board was meeting or preparing to meet on whether to remove Huang.3 The Wall Street Journal report, cited by other publications, said directors were preparing to oust the co-founder and could decide his future as soon as Thursday.4
Nvidia and Powell did not respond to requests for comment cited in the reports. Huang, reached by phone about Powell, said, “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly,” before hanging up, according to one account.5
For a company central to the AI boom and led by its founder since 1993, the immediate question is no longer simply whether the allegations are embarrassing. It is whether the board believes Huang can remain credible while an investigation examines relationships that critics say cut directly across Nvidia’s governance rules.2