Should Huang leave Nvidia? Polymarket gives 13 percent chance

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is under fire for his relationship with a woman who may have ties to Chinese intelligence. While the company is investigating the issue, money is already being wagered on his departure on gambling platform Polymarket.

On the crypto platform Polymarket, traders can predict whether Jensen Huang will announce his departure as CEO of Nvidia or be fired before December 31, 2026.

The chance of that briefly shot up to 50 percent. In the meantime, it has fallen to about 13 percent. The outcome was traded for around $212,000.

Most participants therefore expect Huang to stay on for the time being.

The case centers on an extramarital relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, a former director of Singapore-based company Megaspeed International.

According to US reports, intelligence agencies suspect that Alice Huang may have been collecting information for China. Whether she actually worked for the Chinese government has not been determined.

Jensen Huang acknowledged in a message to his employees on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He apologized for that and took responsibility for his behavior.

The board of directors of Nvidia has meanwhile started an independent investigation. In doing so, it is checked whether confidential company information or information that is important to US national security has been compromised during the relationship.

So far, no indications have been found. There is also no evidence that Huang was deliberately involved in espionage.

Nvidia has also emphasized maintaining confidence in Huang and his management team. The CEO has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation.

The issue is also receiving attention from American politics. Three Republican committee chairs in the House of Representatives have asked Huang to explain behind closed doors on November 18.

They want to know exactly what happened and what measures Nvidia is taking to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence services.

Nvidia's share was hit hard on Monday. Before the opening of Wall Street, the price fell by almost five percent to about 177 dollars. This threatened to disappear some 270 billion dollars in market value.

The decline is striking because Nvidia was already hit hard by the sales wave among technology stocks last week. The revelations surrounding Jensen Huang now give investors an extra reason to be cautious.

There's a lot at stake for Nvidia. Huang co-founded the company in 1993 and has since grown to become one of the most influential individuals in the technology sector. He not only determines Nvidia's course, but also maintains personal contacts with major customers and world leaders.

His position is therefore difficult to compare with that of an ordinary CEO. Under his leadership, Nvidia grew into one of the most valuable companies in the world and became the leading supplier of chips for artificial intelligence.

An unexpected departure would therefore raise questions about who should take over his role and whether Nvidia can continue the same strategy.

For the time being, however, a departure does not seem to be an issue. The board of directors has expressed its confidence in Huang and President Donald Trump has also stated that he believes Huang can stay on.

In the meantime, the independent investigation is ongoing. Whether the results of this have consequences for Huang's position is not yet clear.