Despite spy warnings, Trump called Huang to urge him to stay at Nvidia before resignation - report

US President Donald Trump called Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Tuesday and urged him to stay on, despite receiving at least two intelligence warnings that a woman Huang was involved with had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security. Huang resigned on Thursday after revelations of the relationship and another alleged affair with a senior Nvidia employee. Nvidia named CFO Colette Kress interim CEO. Trump publicly defended Huang and suggested Tim Cook as a possible successor. Congress is demanding investigations.

US President Donald Trump called Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Tuesday and urged him to continue fighting to keep his position, just two days before Huang was forced to step down amid a spying scandal and revelations of extramarital affairs, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two people briefed on the conversation. According to the report, Trump continued defending and supporting Huang until the last moment, even though US intelligence agencies had concluded that a woman with whom he had a romantic relationship had been recruited by Chinese intelligence. Huang, who co-founded Nvidia and transformed it into the world's leading manufacturer of advanced artificial intelligence chips, has emerged in recent years as one of Trump's most prominent allies in Silicon Valley and an influential adviser on technology and artificial intelligence. The report raises questions about the White House's handling of intelligence concerns involving one of the most important companies to US technological security. On Thursday, Nvidia announced that Huang was stepping down as CEO following revelations about his relationship with the woman suspected of espionage, as well as reports of another alleged relationship with a senior company employee. The company announced that Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress would serve as interim CEO. Trump continued praising Huang in an interview on Thursday, and suggested former Apple CEO Tim Cook as a possible candidate to lead Nvidia. Congress is demanding an investigation into whether Huang's relationships exposed sensitive information about the American artificial intelligence industry.