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Nov 11, 2026 · 45 min

NVIDIA’s China strategy puts Jensen Huang under scrutiny

What was Jensen Huang thinking?

The episode examines whether NVIDIA’s campaign to preserve Chinese market access crossed legal and ethical lines that could threaten its founder and future.

3 key takeaways
  1. 1NVIDIA argued that selling advanced chips to China protected American influence, even as evidence emerged of diversion through illicit channels.
  2. 2Megaspeed’s opaque data-center operations raised questions about whether NVIDIA chips or computing capacity reached Chinese AI developers.
  3. 3Jensen Huang’s judgment now faces scrutiny over export controls, political influence, personal relationships, and NVIDIA’s dependence on its founder.

Don't miss

Leo Schwartz explains how Megaspeed’s data centers may have enabled NVIDIA chips or computing capacity to reach Chinese developers despite export restrictions.

The brief

The episode reframes the Jensen Huang scandal: the alleged affair matters mainly because it intersects with NVIDIA’s campaign to keep selling advanced chips to China.

Leo Schwartz traces the conflict to Biden-era export controls, NVIDIA’s warnings about losing influence, and evidence that restricted chips still reached China through illicit channels.

NVIDIA’s relationship with the Trump administration becomes central as Jensen Huang gains White House access and the company pushes to shape export-control policy.

Megaspeed, a Singapore- and Malaysia-based NVIDIA partner linked to Alice Wong, appears positioned to provide Chinese companies with computing capacity outside China.

The episode weighs strategic conviction against hubris and deliberate rule-bending, while outlining possible congressional scrutiny, internal investigations, and pressure on NVIDIA’s founder-led structure.

Books & mentions

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