Jensen Huang | Source: Getty Images

Billionaire Tech CEO Loses $6.5 Billion and Drops Out of the World's Top 10 Richest People After Admitting He Cheated on His Wife of 40 Years

Nov 13, 2026

09:00 A.M.

A confession to employees on Sunday and a market reaction on Monday cost one of tech's best-known leaders billions and his place among the world's ten richest people.

Few executives carry as much weight as the head of the company building the chips behind the artificial intelligence boom, which is why one Sunday message to employees echoed far beyond Nvidia's offices.

On November 8, 2026, Jensen Huang, 63, the co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, told staff that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Lori, his partner of four decades. Markets reacted the very next day.

Lori and Jensen Huang at the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on April 18, 2026. | Source: Getty Images

The Fall on the Rankings

By the close of trading on Monday, November 9, 2026, Huang's net worth had dropped by $6.5 billion to $148 billion, according to reports from Fortune and The Economic Times.

The loss pushed him out of the world's top ten richest people. Bloomberg's Billionaires Index placed him 12th, behind Walmart heirs Jim and Rob Walton.

Jensen Huang is photographed handing out food to members of the media after a dinner event in Tokyo, Japan, on July 15, 2026. | Source: Getty Images

According to reports, Nvidia's shares also slid, falling as much as nine percent during the session and ending at $178.67 each. The company is the leading chipmaker Huang co-founded in 1993, and its stock makes up the bulk of his fortune.

Jensen Huang speaks during the Hill and Valley Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2025. | Source: Getty Images

The Questions Behind the Admission

Huang didn't name the woman in his company-wide Sunday message, but his ties to a Chinese businesswoman named Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, had already come under heavy scrutiny.

The New York Times reported that she was an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data center company that buys Nvidia's AI chips.

Jensen Huang is photographed leaving the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 28, 2026. | Source: Getty Images

However, in late October, the outlet also reported that U.S. officials had come to believe Huang may have had a close relationship with her while she worked as a spy for China. Those claims remain allegations, and Nvidia didn't immediately respond to People's request for comment.

Jensen Huang speaks to the media during the Nvidia GTC (GPU Technology Conference) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on October 28, 2025. | Source: Getty Images

The Company's Response

After Huang's disclosure, Nvidia announced its own investigation, to be overseen by a committee of independent directors with the help of outside counsel.

In a statement, the company said, "The Board prioritizes U.S. national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders."

It added that Huang fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating. The board also said it had no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised.

Jensen Huang speaks at a Windows event at Dogpatch Studios in San Francisco, California, on October 7, 2026. | Source: Getty Images

Political Fallout

The story reached well beyond the business pages. The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump had been briefed about a year earlier that Huang Le was believed to be an operative for China's government and didn't act on it.

On Monday, however, the president told reporters that he believed Huang when he said he wasn't aware that the woman was allegedly a spy.

President Donald Trump listens as Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang speaks in the Cross Hall of the White House during an event in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2025. | Source: Getty Images

While Huang remains firmly among the world's wealthiest individuals, the sharp swings in both his personal net worth and Nvidia's stock underscored just how closely investors were watching.

For now, the investigation continues, and the market's reaction has become a snapshot of how much is riding on one leader.