Suspected ties to Chinese spy: Nvidia CEO loses $7.4 billion in half an hour

10 November 2026, 11:49·8·World

An unexpected political and personal scandal has erupted around Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, the absolute leader in the artificial intelligence chip market. In the first 30 minutes of trading on November 9, the billionaire's fortune instantly dropped by nearly $7.4 billion, settling at $154.7 billion. The financial blow was caused by a sensational investigation launched by US authorities.

Espionage suspicions and a sharp market decline

According to Forbes, US intelligence services have begun investigating Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman suspected of spying for Beijing. This news, emerging at a time when the technology and semiconductor war with China is at its peak, has caused real panic among investors.

As soon as reports of the investigation spread, Nvidia shares fell by 5.5 percent. As a result, the company's market capitalization dropped significantly, and the CEO's personal assets suffered billions in losses in an instant.

Indicator	Before the scandal	After the scandal (November 9)	Change
Jensen Huang's wealth	~$162.1 billion	$154.7 billion	-$7.4 billion (in the first 30 minutes)
Forbes ranking position	8th place	10th place	Dropped 2 spots
Nvidia share price	Stable trading	Collapsed by 5.5%	Sharp market sell-off
Main reason	Tech market growth	US intelligence investigation	Suspicion of spying for China

“The involvement of the leader who serves as the primary symbol of Silicon Valley in geopolitical and intelligence conflicts has created one of the biggest corporate risks in the artificial intelligence industry.”

A shake-up in the Top 10 billionaire list

This financial loss also dealt a direct blow to Jensen Huang's position on the Forbes world billionaire list. The businessman plunged from 8th to 10th place on the global list and is at risk of leaving the top ten entirely in the coming days.

Nvidia is considered a key enterprise directly linked to US national security interests in the development of artificial intelligence and the sale of high-tech chips. Therefore, the investigation launched by Washington against the company's head could have a serious impact not only on Huang's personal status but also on the stocks of the entire technology sector.

Do you think such political accusations against tech giant executives are a genuine national security concern or pressure aimed at redistributing the market? Leave your opinion in the comments.