A short seller flagged Nvidia CEO’s ties to a suspected Chinese spy six months before the scandal

Six months before the Nvidia spy scandal broke, short seller Culper Research published a report questioning the relationship between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based chip buyer Megaspeed who is now suspected of being a Chinese spy. The May 13 report described their relationship as "uncomfortably close," noting the CEO was seen partying with her and that some employees wondered about a "special relationship." Culper also alleged that China business lost to export controls had been rerouted through Southeast Asia, and that Megaspeed was secretly financed by Alibaba through shell companies, pointing to a jump in its liabilities and equity from $33 million to around $3 billion. The Financial Times later reported that documents show Alibaba lent money to Megaspeed through subsidiaries. Nvidia has opened a formal investigation into the CEO's relationship with Alice Huang, and U.S. intelligence officials believe she was recruited by the Chinese government to gather intelligence on him and influence his stance on chip export controls. Culper, as a short seller, stood to profit from the allegations, and claims about illegal chip diversion have not been independently verified.

(Source：TechCrunch)