Nvidia’s board is preparing to remove chief executive Jensen Huang, The Wall Street Journal reported, as the company investigates two reported extramarital relationships and related security concerns. The report cited people familiar with the matter; it did not say that the board had made a final decision.

The report puts the future of the co-founder, who has led Nvidia for decades, in question. Nvidia had earlier said Huang would continue to run the company without interruption. The Journal said the board could discuss his future on Wednesday, November 11, but other reporting has also noted that no decision was confirmed and no successor was identified.

Two relationships under scrutiny

Huang acknowledged infidelity in a letter to employees on November 8 and apologised for damaging the trust of his family and Nvidia staff. He did not identify the person involved.

Media reports have named Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed and an Nvidia customer, as one of the women. US officials reportedly suspect her of working for Chinese intelligence. US intelligence agencies were also reported to have said she helped facilitate Nvidia chip deliveries to Chinese companies. China has denied that Alice Huang was an intelligence asset. The allegations have not been established as fact.

The New York Times separately reported, citing five people who had worked at Nvidia, that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, the company’s vice president of health and a subordinate in his management line. Huang declined to speak directly with the newspaper about the allegation. Nvidia declined to comment, and Powell did not respond to its request for comment.

Outside law firm leading inquiry

Nvidia’s board has appointed the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an internal inquiry. A committee of independent directors is overseeing the work with the firm’s partner Joon Kim. The inquiry is examining the reported relationships and related security concerns; its findings and timing have not been reported.

The board’s reported plans come as Huang has continued working. Anonymous sources told Tien Phong that he apologised to employees at a closed meeting on November 9, took no questions and moved on to business matters. The outlet also reported that he was in the office chairing meetings the following day.

For now, the central question is whether the board will act on the reported preparations to remove Huang. The available reports do not confirm a board decision, and Nvidia has not publicly announced a change in leadership.