Nvidia shares plunge 14% as CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid national security probe

Nvidia shares plunged as much as 14 percent on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang resigned immediately amid extramarital affair revelations and a federal national security inquiry, wiping hundreds of billions of dollars off the chipmaker's market value. The resignation followed fallout from two affairs, including one with an executive suspected by American intelligence of ties to China. Trading volume exploded to over 747 million shares, more than five times the daily average, though retail dip-buying trimmed closing losses to 4.34 percent at $166.19. The sell-off also dragged down the Nasdaq and S&P 500. U.S. agencies are investigating Huang's affair with Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, suspected of working with Chinese intelligence, while Malaysia probes potential chip re-exports. CFO Colette Kress has stepped in as interim CEO, but analysts warn the founder's departure leaves a strategic void until a permanent successor is named.