Huang affair sparks talk of $75B divorce, topping Bezos

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to an extramarital affair, and that has led to speculation that a divorce could become the most expensive ever. In a company-wide message released Sunday, Nov. 8, Huang wrote, "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did," according to People and CNN. Forbes valued his fortune at about $155.2 billion. It estimated that his wife, Lori Huang, could get at least $75 billion if the couple split, though the final figure would depend on any agreements they signed and how their assets are classified.people.com+2

There is a major caveat. The Huangs have not announced a separation, and Lori Huang has not commented publicly on the affair or on whether the marriage will continue.malaymail.com

How the numbers add up

The couple met as students at Oregon State University and married in the mid-1980s, years before Nvidia was founded in 1993. Under California's community property rules, assets acquired during a marriage are generally split 50/50 unless they are shown to be one spouse's separate property. Nvidia's 2026 proxy statement shows that most of the shares attributed to Huang are held in trusts where both spouses are co-trustees. It is not known whether the couple signed a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.finance.yahoo.com

Indiatimes worked out that an even split of $155 billion would come to about $77.5 billion each, and that Lori Huang's share could top $80 billion if the qualifying assets were worth more. It stressed that the figure is hypothetical. Huang owns about 3.6% of Nvidia.indiatimes.com+1

The Bezos benchmark

When MacKenzie Scott and Jeff Bezos divorced in 2019, she received about 4% of Amazon Amazon.com, Inc. ↗ 1.48%. Those shares were worth $38.3 billion when the settlement was finalized, and Bezos kept voting control over them. Forbes put that stake at about $36 billion. It noted that the full terms of Melinda French Gates' 2021 divorce from Bill Gates have never been disclosed.finance.yahoo.com+1

Spy probe and lawsuit

The admission came after reports that Huang had a relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed. U.S. authorities reportedly concluded she was a Chinese intelligence asset. She is not related to him. Nvidia's board has started an independent investigation. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the FBI was looking into the matter, and China has denied any spying operation (Reuters; DW).reuters.com+1

Nvidia shares fell 4.3% on Monday, cutting the company's market value by about $190 billion. Shareholders filed a proposed class action in San Jose federal court that accuses the company and Huang of hiding his ties to the suspected spy (CBC/Reuters; CP24/Reuters).cbc.ca+1

In his message, Huang wrote that he hopes "our family will heal and that, over time, I can earn back your trust".usatoday.com