Nvidia's Huang Hired Crisis PR Firm Before Spy Scandal
Original: Jensen Huang Hired a PR Firm Known for Handling Sex Scandals Last Year
Why This Matters
The timeline raises questions about what Nvidia's leadership knew and when.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang quietly retained Heller, a crisis communications firm known for handling sex scandals, as early as October 2025—around when his ties to a suspected Chinese spy first became public.
Jensen Huang began working with Heller, a crisis PR firm founded by Risa Heller, at least a year before he publicly admitted to an extramarital affair with a woman US intelligence suspects is a Chinese spy. The firm's past clients include Anthony Weiner, Mario Batali, and Jeffrey Toobin—all men who faced serious personal misconduct allegations.
Heller was initially brought on for personal matters, including the Huang family's philanthropic work, and communicated regularly with both Huang and his daughter Madison, a product marketing director at Nvidia. It's unclear whether the early work involved the affair.
The timeline tightens around October 2025, when The New York Times published a report linking Huang's business dealings with Singapore-based chip buyer Megaspeed to potential Chinese export control evasion. The story rattled Nvidia's leadership. By month's end, internal communications teams were told to route all press inquiries about Huang—personal or professional—through Heller.
The woman at the center of the affair, known as Alice Huang, is a former Megaspeed executive. US intelligence has reportedly concluded she is a Chinese government operative. Nvidia initially described Huang's interactions with her as routine client business. Huang has since admitted to the affair.