Nvidia hires Wachtell Lipton to lead independent probe of Jensen Huang

Nvidia Corp.’s independent board members retained the New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and former top federal prosecutor Joon H. Kim to lead an independent investigation into Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang.

Joon H. Kim and Wachtell Lipton Lead the Board Inquiry

Nvidia’s independent directors formally tapped Wachtell Lipton and Joon H. Kim on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, to conduct what the board described in a statement as a thorough and independent investigation. Kim previously served as the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York after Preet Bharara departed in March 2017, remaining in that role until early 2018. His past high-profile assignments include co-leading a 2021 independent inquiry for New York Attorney General Letitia James regarding sexual harassment allegations against then-Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The board initially announced the probe on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the same day Huang admitted in a letter to staff that he had engaged in an extramarital relationship. The inquiry follows reports that Huang was targeted in a foreign intelligence effort involving a woman identified as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, who is an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based customer of Nvidia. While Nvidia's board stated when opening the inquiry that it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised, the investigation will examine whether the chief executive was targeted by foreign espionage.

Geopolitical Fallout and Market Pressures

The unfolding controversy carries significant national security and commercial implications. According to the New York Times, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to top Washington officials in the spring of 2026 warning that the Nvidia chief was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy. Meanwhile, Beijing has rejected the allegations, with its foreign ministry characterising the claims as intended to smear and malign China.

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday, November 9, 2026, that he spoke with Jensen Huang, who told him he had no idea the woman was a spy, and added that he believed the Nvidia boss. Trump also confirmed that the FBI is conducting its own separate probe into the matter. Concurrently, three House committee chairs set a response deadline for Huang on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, alongside a request for his attendance at a closed-door session.

Investors reacted strongly to the fast-moving developments. Nvidia shares fell to a near-yearly low on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, wiping more than $500bn off the company's stock market value since Friday, November 6, 2026, even as broader tech stocks showed recovery.

Wachtell Lipton's Role and Open Questions

Wachtell Lipton brings substantial corporate governance and boardroom experience to the mandate. Founding partner Martin Lipton devised the poison pill takeover defence in the 1980s, and the firm counts prominent tech entities such as OpenAI and Salesforce among its clients. The investigation is expected to be treated as urgent within Nvidia.

Several crucial questions remain unaddressed as the inquiry gets underway. According to sources familiar with internal company sentiment, it remains unclear whether Wachtell Lipton will manage to interview Alice Huang, and Nvidia has declined to comment on whether Jensen Huang has retained separate legal counsel. The board has not disclosed how long the investigation will take, whether its ultimate findings will be made public, or whether Huang will step back from any operational duties while the probe runs. Nvidia is scheduled to report its third-quarter financial results on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.