Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang engaged the crisis-communications firm Heller at least by October 2025, a year before he publicly acknowledged an extramarital relationship with a woman identified by U.S. intelligence as a Chinese spy. Sources familiar with the arrangement say Heller has managed Huang’s behind-the-scenes communications since that time. The hiring predates the later revelations that linked Huang to the alleged spy.
Heller was founded by Risa Heller, whose 2023 profile in New York magazine described her as a fixer for high-profile men facing sexual-misconduct allegations. Former clients cited include ex-congressman Anthony Weiner, chef Mario Batali and writer Jeffrey Toobin. In addition to personal-crisis work, the firm also provides corporate communications services for its clientele.
Initial speculation suggested Heller’s services were intended to manage matters related to Huang’s personal life, including the family’s philanthropic activities, according to people familiar with the arrangement. The firm’s consultants regularly communicated with Huang and his daughter Madison, who serves as Nvidia’s product-marketing director and has become increasingly visible within the company. Whether those early interactions addressed the later-disclosed affair remains unclear.
In 2024 Huang began appearing publicly with a woman identified only as Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based chip buyer Megaspeed, according to The New York Times. Megaspeed originated from a spin-off of a Chinese gaming and cloud-computing firm in 2023, shortly after the United States imposed export restrictions on advanced semiconductors, including Nvidia products. A subsidiary of Megaspeed later emerged as a significant purchaser of Nvidia chips.
Early October 2025 a lengthy New York Times report disclosed Huang’s business ties to Megaspeed and his connection to Alice, alleging that the U.S. Commerce Department was probing whether the company’s subsidiaries were aiding Chinese firms in evading export controls. The story heightened tensions among Nvidia’s senior leadership, and sources say Huang was displeased by the coverage. By the end of that month, internal communications were instructed to route any press inquiries about Huang,personal or professional,through Heller.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Alice is a spy working for the Chinese government, as reported by The New York Times. Nvidia initially described Huang’s interactions with her as routine client business, but on Sunday Huang sent an email to staff apologizing for an affair, stating, “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.” The board announced an independent investigation, adding that it sees no evidence of compromised national-security information.