Nvidia taps Korean American ex-federal prosecutor to lead independent probe into Jensen Huang affair

Nvidia has selected a Korean American former federal prosecutor to lead an independent investigation into allegations linking CEO Jensen Huang to a Chinese intelligence operative.

According to The New York Times on Tuesday (local time), Nvidia has retained the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and its partner Jun Kim, 55, to oversee the investigation into the matter involving Huang.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, headquartered in New York, has built its reputation in mergers and acquisitions, high-stakes litigation and crisis management. Kim is a former federal prosecutor who served as acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York and previously led the independent investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

A second-generation Korean American, Kim studied at Stanford University and Harvard Law School before joining the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in 2000. Kim served as acting US attorney for the Manhattan-based district from March 2017 to January 2018. During that tenure, Kim drew wide media attention for directing the investigation into the Halloween truck attack carried out by an Islamic State sympathizer in Manhattan in 2017.

In 2021, New York Attorney General Letitia James appointed Kim to lead the independent investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against then-Gov. Cuomo. Cuomo resigned after the findings were released.

Earlier, Nvidia's board of directors announced Sunday that it had launched an independent investigation after Huang acknowledged an extramarital relationship with a woman whom US intelligence authorities had identified as a Chinese spy. The board said an independent director committee, advised by outside independent counsel, would oversee the probe, and that Huang had pledged his full cooperation.