theSIGNAL TECHNOLOGY
12 November 2026
"Power does not corrupt so much as reveal how little scrutiny it was ever under."
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Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
Nvidia's headquarters, where the board is reported to be weighing the chief executive's future.
📉
7%
Share price fall in after-hours trading Wednesday
Discuss
  • Should a board wait for an independent investigation to finish before deciding a chief executive's future, even when markets are reacting?
  • How does a company's heavy dependence on one founder change the way its board should handle allegations of personal misconduct?
Technology

Nvidia's Board Weighs Its Chief's Future Overnight

Reports of a second alleged affair have pushed the world's most valuable chipmaker toward a decision about its founder, before any investigation is finished.

A company worth trillions of dollars may decide the fate of its founder in a single meeting. According to The Wall Street Journal, Nvidia's board could convene as soon as today to consider dismissing Jensen Huang, the chief executive who built the firm into the central supplier of the hardware behind the artificial intelligence boom. Shares fell more than 7 percent in after-hours trading on Wednesday, a sign of how closely investors link the company's value to one man. The trigger is a New York Times report alleging a second extramarital affair, this time with Kimberly Powell, a vice president who reports directly to Huang.

Two unnamed sources told the Times that the pair were captured together at a San Jose hotel during the company's GTC developer conference in March. The newspaper has not seen the video, and the allegations remain unconfirmed. An unnamed source also told CNBC that rumours about the two had circulated inside Nvidia for some time. Nvidia did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment.

The timing is what makes the story analytically interesting. Only days earlier, Huang acknowledged a separate relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at the firm Megaspeed, who has been alleged to be a Chinese spy. Nvidia hired the former US attorney Joon H. Kim and his law firm to investigate that matter, yet today's reports suggest the board may not wait for his findings.

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Technology

AI's Power Hunger Revives the Gas Plant

Waiting for a grid connection can take years, so AI datacentre developers in the US, UK and Europe now plan 181 gigawatts of on-site gas generation, nearly four times Great Britain's peak demand. BloombergNEF estimates that the US share alone could emit 345 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. Developers call the plants temporary.…
  • If speed matters most, who should pay for the climate cost of temporary gas?
Technology

Europe Targets the Tricks Behind the Scroll

A countdown timer claiming "only two left!" may soon become illegal in Europe. The Commission's proposed Digital Fairness Act would ban such dark patterns, force platforms to offer switches for autoplay and endless scrolling, and bar gambling-like loot boxes for minors. Its reach extends to AI chatbots, hidden influencer advertising and awkward cancellations.…
  • Can law meaningfully regulate persuasive design, or will companies simply invent new tricks faster than regulators write rules?
ASIA · Technology
Nvidia CEO's affair becomes a national security problem
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OCEANIA · Technology
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theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
conveneunconfirmed
extramaritalgovernancedark patterns
lock-inon-site
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Subjunctive mood (It is essential that he be, I suggest she leave)
After verbs and adjectives of recommendation, demand or necessity (suggest, insist, essential, vital, propose), the that-clause uses the base form of the verb for all persons, so there is no -s in the third person singular. The negative is formed with 'not' before the base form, and 'be' is used instead of 'is' or 'are'.
be · investigate · not wait · remain · include · be banned · reveal
  1. Some shareholders insist that the board for the lawyer's findings before deciding Jensen Huang's fate.
  2. It is essential that any allegation of an affair with a subordinate thoroughly before action is taken.
  3. Governance experts recommend that the company a full independent review of the espionage claims.
  4. The Commission proposes that dark patterns such as fake countdown timers across the European Union.
  5. Consumer groups demand that platforms switches allowing users to turn off autoplay and endless scrolling.
  6. It is vital that the newspaper's allegations unconfirmed until the video has been verified.
3DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS
Complete each phrase with the correct preposition. All from today’s articles.
  1. Investors closely link the company's value ___ one man.
  2. Nvidia did not immediately respond ___ a request for comment.
  3. Huang is alleged to have been involved ___ a relationship with a subordinate who reports directly to him.
  4. The board may not wait ___ the lawyer's findings.
  5. The proposed law would bar gambling-like loot boxes ___ minors.
4CRITICAL THINKING
Both the Nvidia story and the datacentre gas story involve decisions made at speed by those with the most to lose from delay. In each case, who benefits from acting fast, and who is left to absorb the consequences? Consider whether urgency is ever a neutral argument, or whether it tends to favour particular interests.
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
Imagine you are a long-term Nvidia shareholder. Write a short email (100-120 words) to the board explaining what you expect from them tonight and why, using at least two of the ideas raised in the article.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong.
  • Shares dipped slightly in after-hours trading.→→
  • The allegations remain unconfirmed.→→
  • The board may take some time to decide.→→
  • The rumours were known to a few staff.→→
  • Some firms find the new rules a little inconvenient.→→
  • Waiting for a grid connection can be slow.→→
8SPEAKING
  1. Which trick online makes you spend or scroll more than you intended?
  2. Would you trust an AI chatbot regulated by law? Why or why not?
  3. Is it fair to blame one person for a whole company's fortunes?
  4. How should a company handle rumours that spread among its own employees?