Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang enlisted a crisis communications firm known for handling high-profile scandals about a year before admitting to an extramarital affair with a woman reportedly suspected by US intelligence of being a Chinese spy. The firm, Heller, has been involved in Huang's behind-the-scenes communications since at least October 2025, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Risa Heller, the firm's founder, has gained a reputation as a "fixer" for influential figures facing allegations of sexual misconduct and other personal controversies, as noted in a 2023 New York Magazine profile. Her client roster has included figures like former congressman Anthony Weiner, chef Mario Batali, and writer Jeffrey Toobin. While Heller's firm is known for personal scandal management, it also handles broader corporate communications for its clients.
Initially, Heller's consultants were believed to be engaged for matters concerning Huang's personal life, including his family's philanthropic activities. The firm reportedly maintained frequent communication with Huang and his daughter, Madison, who holds a product marketing director role at Nvidia and has become a more visible presence within the company. It remains unclear if this early work touched upon Huang's affair.
In 2024, Huang began appearing publicly with a woman identified as Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based chip buyer. Megaspeed was formed from a split of a Chinese gaming and cloud computing firm in 2023, shortly after the US government began imposing restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports to China, including those from Nvidia. A Megaspeed subsidiary later emerged as a significant purchaser of Nvidia chips.
The connection between Huang's business dealings with Megaspeed and Alice came to light in an October 2025 New York Times report. The report alleged that the US Commerce Department was investigating whether Megaspeed was facilitating Chinese firms' circumvention of American export controls through its subsidiaries. This story reportedly caused internal friction at Nvidia, and by the end of October, Nvidia's internal communications teams were directed to include Heller's firm in any press inquiries concerning Huang, regardless of whether they were personal or professional.
US intelligence officials have reportedly concluded that Alice, who has no known relation to Jensen Huang, is a spy for the Chinese government. While Nvidia initially stated that Huang's interactions with Alice were routine business engagements, Huang acknowledged the romantic nature of their relationship in an email to Nvidia staff on Sunday, apologizing for his infidelity and the hurt caused to his wife and children. Nvidia's board has announced an independent investigation into Huang's activities, stating they have no current reason to believe national security or confidential company information has been compromised.
