Jensen Huang’s $470 Billion Affair

Nov 12, 2026 1:59 PM

This week on Uncanny Valley, the team unpacks the Nvidia CEO’s affair with an alleged Chinese spy and what that means for the AI industry.

Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images

This week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an affair with Alice Huang, a businesswoman US intelligence says was recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security. On Uncanny Valley, Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, and Leah Feiger break down what this means for Nvidia, for the AI industry, and for the chip export controls Huang has long pushed back against. Plus, now that the Democrats have swept the midterms, white nationalists, Christian nationalists, and the Proud Boys are declaring the MAGA movement dead and saying the Republican Party is theirs for the taking.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• Jensen Huang Hired a PR Firm Known for Handling Sex Scandals Last Year
• Jensen Huang’s Troubles Leave the AI Industry Reeling
• ‘We Have to Take Over’: Far-Right Extremists Want to Seize Control of the GOP

You can follow Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett, Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky at @zoeschiffer, and Leah Feiger on Bluesky at @leahfeiger. Write to us at [email protected].

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Transcript

Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors.

Brian Barrett: Welcome to WIRED's Uncanny Valley. I'm Brian Barrett, executive editor.

Zoë Schiffer: I'm Zoë Schiffer, contributing editor.

Leah Feiger: And I'm Leah Feiger, director of politics and science.

Zoë Schiffer: This week, we're getting into the scandal that has had everyone talking. On Sunday, Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang admitted to having an affair with a businesswoman who US intelligence says is also a Chinese spy.

Zoë Schiffer: He was vocal about this before he and Alice knew each other.

Brian Barrett: Yeah, absolutely.