Note: This piece first appeared in my newsletter, dated November 11, 2026.
I’ve been following the bizarre news story about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who had an affair with a woman U.S. officials believe is a Chinese spy. The whole thing reads like a John le Carré novel, and I’m absolutely hooked.
Jensen Huang is known for his intense work ethic (he famously works seven days a week, including holidays) and “torturous” management style. He says his approach to leadership was shaped by his upbringing: “[To a] Taiwanese parent, nothing is ever good enough, and you can’t go a day without some criticism” (CNA interview). He’s also known for calling out team members’ mistakes publicly, in theory, so that everyone can learn from them.
However, Huang apparently made a little time for fun, and his actions have left his board in a difficult position. Nvidia’s share price has already dropped significantly, and if the board removes him as CEO, it will likely go into free fall. There’s no obvious successor at the darling of the AI boom, and without clear leadership, Nvidia might falter. The chipmaker currently accounts for more than 6% of the S&P 500, so we’re all invested. At the risk of pointing out the obvious, the stakes are sky-high.
But it’s not just shareholder value that’s on the line. If Huang’s reputation was rooted in perfectionism and work ethic, he’s grossly undermined his position with his employees. It’s hard to demand perfection when your private life is all over the news. It’s particularly unfortunate that Huang fell for the oldest trick in the book—a honeytrap—in the middle of the U.S.-China trade war.
What can those of us in speechwriting and leadership/exec comms learn from Huang’s mistakes?
Using perfectionism as the standard means you must be beyond reproach yourself, but it’s human to fail.
So far, I’ve had my eye on the internal comms. The memo Huang sent to staff was a masterclass in the rule of three and made the CEO’s priorities clear: family, Nvidia, and national security, in that order. He addresses his wife directly and early, and he bookends his note with another nod to family, which is a nice touch. When he describes his leadership of Nvidia he uses short, declarative sentences in the present tense. The subtext: I’m not going anywhere.
The memo shaped the press narrative, which is the smart play. Consistency between external and internal comms will be key if Huang is going to survive as CEO.
The fatal flaw, however, is that he didn’t come clean earlier. Nvidia’s first response, back in October, described the meetings with Alice Huang as ordinary business. He uses the word “trust” twice and that’s harder to rebuild when your first answer left out the most important part.
Going forward, Huang needs to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. His stakeholder list is a long one: His board, federal agencies, and his senior team will all be key contacts as the investigations unfold. If he’s smart, he’ll have a team of lawyers and a great comms professional on speed dial.
However this espionage tale plays out, it’s going to be a fantastic case study in crisis communications… and I’m sure Hollywood is already planning a movie.
