One signal

Update What changed

House China committee chairman John Moolenaar says Jensen Huang has until the end of Wednesday to agree to a closed-door congressional briefing. If Huang does not agree, Moolenaar says he will likely be subpoenaed, TechCrunch reports, citing Bloomberg and two House Republicans.

Separately, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Brian Mast said his committee is preparing a subpoena to send if Huang does not respond. The committees are seeking answers about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, whom reports have described as a suspected Chinese spy. Those claims remain allegations, not established findings.

Nvidia had not immediately responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment. The new development is a stated deadline and potential congressional action, not confirmation that a subpoena has been issued or that the briefing has taken place.

Sources and evidence

• Congress to call Jensen Huang in to answer for alleged Chinese spy affair | TechCrunch: TechCrunch reports that Moolenaar gave Huang until the end of Wednesday to agree to a closed-door briefing and said he would likely be subpoenaed otherwise; Mast said his committee was preparing a subpoena if Huang did not respond.

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.

Update What changed

Some Nvidia directors favour appointing chief financial officer Colette Kress as interim chief executive if Jensen Huang is ousted, Semafor reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The full board has not made a decision, and is scheduled to meet on Wednesday evening, the report says.

Semafor also reports that Nvidia has hired an outside search firm to find a successor. Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji is among those being considered for the top job, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The board has briefed the White House on its planned meeting, Semafor reports, citing a senior administration official. These are reported preparations and possible candidates, not confirmation that Huang will leave or that the board has selected a replacement.

Sources and evidence

• Nvidia board preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang, name interim CEO | Semafor: Semafor reports that some Nvidia directors favour CFO Colette Kress as interim CEO if Huang is ousted; the full board has not decided, a meeting is scheduled, an outside search firm has been hired, Johny Srouji is among those considered, and the board briefed the White House.

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.

Update What changed

The Telegraph’s account adds detail on the directors weighing Jensen Huang’s future: Nvidia’s board has 11 members, and several have served alongside him for decades. Tench Coxe and Mark Stevens have been directors since the company’s early years; Brooke Seawell has served for 29 years, the newspaper reports.

Huang holds a 3.6 per cent stake, according to The Telegraph, so the board could remove him without the kind of founder voting control seen at some other technology companies. The report also notes that US rules do not impose the nine-year limit on director independence used in Britain.

The article raises questions about how independent a board can be when some directors have such longstanding personal and business ties to its chief executive. Those are governance concerns, not findings about the investigation’s allegations.

Sources and evidence

• The 10 men and women who will decide Huang’s fate at Nvidia - The Telegraph: The Telegraph reports that several Nvidia directors have longstanding ties to the company, Huang holds a 3.6 per cent stake, and US rules do not impose Britain’s nine-year limit on director independence.

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.