Jensen Huang, the former chief executive of Nvidia, has been sharply criticised by his biographer Stephen Witt, who describes the technology executive as arrogant and narcissistic and compares aspects of his personality to US President Donald Trump. In an opinion article published in The New York Times, Witt characterises Huang’s downfall as a “timeless story of male hubris”, following revelations about his extramarital relationships and his departure from the company after more than three decades at its helm.
Huang stepped down as Nvidia chief executive on Thursday after reports emerged in US media about his close relationship with a woman from China who, according to information attributed to US security agencies, may have been recruited by Chinese intelligence. Over the weekend, Huang acknowledged that he had been unfaithful to his wife. A second alleged affair subsequently became public, involving a senior Nvidia executive who reportedly worked under him.
Witt said he first heard rumours about Huang’s alleged affairs earlier this year but had been unable to verify them personally. He attributed the difficulty partly to what he described as a “culture of omertà” at Nvidia, suggesting that an environment of silence within the company had allowed Huang to conceal aspects of his private conduct and display what Witt regarded as his worst personal characteristics.
The biographer first met Huang in 2023 while researching his book, The Thinking Machine, published in 2025. At the time, Witt said, Huang had made considerable efforts to conceal his arrogance. The executive and his advisers sought to present him as a modest leader who regularly credited employees for the company’s achievements and portrayed himself as devoted to his family.
Witt said he later began to suspect that Huang’s carefully cultivated public image was primarily designed to flatter the executive himself rather than reflect his actual character.
In his New York Times article, Witt identified what he considered similarities between Huang and Trump, writing that both displayed “rage, narcissism and, I suspect, womanising”. His assessment marks a sharp departure from the image of Huang as a visionary technology entrepreneur that had accompanied his leadership of Nvidia.
The biographer also suggested that further revelations about Huang’s personal relationships could emerge now that the company’s longstanding culture of silence had been broken. He said he would not be surprised if additional alleged affairs involving the former executive became public.
“Nobody will be surprised,” Witt wrote.
Despite his criticism of Huang’s conduct, Witt acknowledged the scale of the executive’s contribution to Nvidia, which he said had been built from virtually nothing under his leadership. He nevertheless argued that Huang’s arrogance and excessive self-confidence had left a leadership gap that might prove impossible to fill.
“His succession will not be an easy job,” Witt wrote, adding that although Huang had built Nvidia from nothing, his personal shortcomings had left a void that might never be completely closed.
The leadership departure comes as Nvidia’s share price has also come under pressure. Over the preceding month, the company’s stock had fallen by approximately 30 per cent from its early October peak of around US$240 a share. Nvidia, described in the source as the world’s second-most valuable company, has consequently faced both a leadership transition and a substantial decline in its market valuation.
Nvidia’s chief financial officer is taking over the leadership role on an interim basis while the company faces the challenge of determining who will succeed Huang as its public face and chief executive.
