Nvidia's board of directors has launched an independent investigation into a foreign intelligence effort targeting Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, according to reports highlighted by The Motley Fool.
The inquiry follows reports concerning Huang's personal relationships. In an internal email sent to employees, Huang acknowledged that he had been unfaithful to his wife. Shortly after the board announced its investigation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 11, 2026, after market close, that Nvidia is preparing to remove Huang as CEO. Concurrently, The New York Times reported that Huang may have engaged in a separate affair with an Nvidia executive.
Following the developments on Nov. 11, 2026, Nvidia stock dropped more than 7% in after-hours trading as of 7:02 p.m. ET.
Wall Street analysts have begun assessing the potential financial and strategic impact if Huang is removed. Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives, wrote on X on Nov. 10, 2026, that Huang's removal could reduce Nvidia's corporate and stock valuation by 25% to 30%. Ives noted such a change would alter Nvidia's future direction and dramatically shift the global competitive environment for artificial intelligence graphics processing units (GPUs).
While Ives initially assigned a 15% probability to Huang's departure at the time of his post, prediction market platform Kalshi showed the implied probability of an ouster occurring prior to Nov. 13, 2026, rising to 60%.
Industry analysts also pointed to leadership transition challenges. Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman highlighted that Nvidia currently has no public succession plan or clearly identified executives positioned to immediately assume the top role. Nvidia currently commands an estimated 90% share of the global AI GPU market and maintains a market capitalization exceeding $4 trillion.
