Scandal-hit Jensen Huang loses his shine in his birthplace Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had been widely adored like a rock star in his birthplace, Taiwan. That image is now tainted after the FBI began an investigation into his affair with an alleged Chinese agent.

Like the rest of the world, the island was shocked by the scandal over Huang's relationship with Alice Huang , a Chinese businesswoman reportedly described as a Chinese spy by U.S. officials. A video of the pair visiting a restaurant in the capital city of Taipei in 2025 went viral and was broadcast globally.

The 63-year-old poster boy for the artificial intelligence revolution was born in Taiwan and spent his early years there before he moved to the United States for his schooling. He regularly visits Taiwan for business events.

Jane Hsieh’s tofu pudding shop was one of many restaurants and stores in Taipei that proudly displayed photos of Jensen Huang visiting their premises. Hsieh, 70, was first shocked by the dramatic headlines and felt deep regret for him, saying Huang used to have a near-perfect public image.

She wondered whether people would still be as warm to him as before if he returned to Taiwan again.

“If he comes into my shop again as a customer, I’d be fine, but I think it would be awkward because he’s no longer the familiar person we used to know," she said. “I’d be polite to him, but my feelings toward him would be different.”

Resident Jeff Huang, 72, noted some customers were already suggesting the removal of Huang’s photos in shops.

“He used to be very popular, but after his personal moral scandal and allegations of corporate espionage came out, he instantly fell from grace,” he said.

Taiwan's presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said that national security agencies have full knowledge of the pair's travel itinerary while they were in Taiwan.

Local media reported Jensen Huang visited Taiwan for two weeks between May and June, and he made a short stopover in August.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng told reporters Thursday that while Alice Huang was originally from mainland China, she entered Taiwan "as a “Hong Konger.”

She had worked at HSBC’s Hong Kong private banking arm and at CITIC Securities, a Chinese investment bank, before becoming a director at Singapore-based Megaspeed, a company that described itself as a “Nvidia cloud partner."

Taiwan's Central News Agency reported that the businesswoman entered Taiwan eight times in total in 2024 and 2025, but there was no record of her entry this year. After learning her identity, Chiu said authorities would monitor any future entries in accordance with the law, it said.

Taiwan's Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang previously said Alice Huang's entry permit has been revoked, meaning that she can no longer come to Taiwan.

“The National Immigration Agency will fully cooperate with our national security authorities or other relevant agencies in investigating anything that occurred during her time in Taiwan,” she said.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the FBI is investigating Jensen Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese government agent. But Trump said he spoke with Jensen Huang and believes he “had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy.”

Huang has acknowledged he had an affair, issuing an apology to his wife and to the company in an open letter posted on Nvidia’s website. The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence determined that the woman was gathering information for Beijing.

Taiwan’s Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang said this week that authorities, including national security officials, are “actively” looking into questions surrounding Megaspeed and Alice Huang.

Beijing has rebutted claims that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy, calling the allegation “unsubstantiated.”

Associated Press writer Kanis Leung contributed to this report in Hong Kong.