A romantic relationship between a CEO and a vice president who reports directly to him could create a serious conflict of interest. When that relationship is allegedly undisclosed and the executive holds authority over the subordinate’s career, compensation, and responsibilities, it becomes a governance problem, not a personal one.
What the Times Reported
The New York Times, citing five people who worked at Nvidia and spoke anonymously, reported that Jensen Huang allegedly had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, who reportedly reports to him.
Both Huang and Powell are married to other people, according to the Times. Two of the five anonymous sources told the Times that Huang and Powell were captured on video appearing affectionate at a San Jose hotel during Nvidia’s GTC developer conference in March. The Times stated it had not viewed the video, and its existence should not be treated as established.
A Non-Denial and a Call Huang Ended
The responses from all three parties were notable mostly for what they were not.
Nvidia declined to comment to the Times. Powell did not respond to a request for comment. When the Times reached Huang directly, he said “I don’t think you should be talking to me directly” and ended the call. Huang did not expressly deny the allegation in that exchange.
Two Separate Matters, Both Serious
This allegation is distinct from the separate matter in which Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to Nvidia employees, according to the BBC.
That admission concerned a different alleged relationship, with Alice Huang. U.S. officials reportedly assessed Alice Huang to be a Chinese intelligence asset, an assessment China has denied. Nvidia’s board retained Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz to conduct an independent investigation into that matter, according to CNBC. Whether the scope of that investigation covers the Powell allegation is not public.
The Policy Says What It Says
Nvidia’s own code of conduct, as characterized in Times reporting, instructs employees to avoid situations that create conflicts of interest, including those involving personal relationships, and states that the company investigates misconduct reports promptly.
A reporting relationship between a CEO and a vice president is exactly what those rules exist to prevent. The available evidence does not confirm whether Nvidia’s policies include explicit provisions for the chief executive, but the conflict-of-interest framework applies broadly to the company’s workforce.
What Remains Unverified
The allegation and the footage described by anonymous sources both remain without independent confirmation.
Whether the alleged relationship affected Powell’s career trajectory, pay, or responsibilities at Nvidia has not been publicly confirmed. Powell joined Nvidia in 2008 and advanced to vice president of government health care after earlier roles in AI business development. No reporting establishes a connection between that progression and the alleged relationship.
The Board’s Actual Job
Nvidia shares fell more than 3% in after-hours trading after the Times published its report, according to CNBC, though that decline likely reflects the cumulative weight of multiple ongoing concerns.
The more consequential question is not on a stock ticker. Five people inside Nvidia allegedly knew enough about a reported relationship between the CEO and a direct report to speak with a reporter. Whether any internal process addressed that situation before a law firm was retained for a separate investigation is not established by the available reporting. Nvidia’s board faces a governance structure that was not built to scrutinize the person who built the company, and that gap is exactly what an independent review should now examine.
