NVIDIA Billionaire’s Wife Could Get Half His $140 Billion Fortune In A Possible Divorce

0:00Today on Forbes, NVIDIA Billionaire's wife could get half his$140 billion fortune in a possible divorce. Now former NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's admission of an extramarital affair, and reports of a second, have continued speculation he and his wife Lori Huang could be headed toward divorce. If that happens, Lori could potentially walk away with tens of billions of dollars, though the exact number remains uncertain. Huang resigned as NVIDIA CEO on Thursday. This followed his admission he had an affair with suspected Chinese government asset Alice Huang no relation, and also reports of a second affair with NVIDIA executive Kimberly Powell.

0:47Reuters also reported later Thursday that he had an intimate relationship with a second NVIDIA employee. After NVIDIA's announcement that Jensen Huang would resign Thursday morning, his net worth tumbled by 10 % at market open, dropping from$151 billion to$135 billion within minutes. But by midday, it had slightly rebounded. The billionaire's wealth has taken a notable dive this week amid the scandals that drove his resignation, with Huang dropping off the list of the top 10 richest people in the world. Forbes values Jensen Huang's net worth at$141.7 billion as of Thursday at 10.15 a.m. Eastern Time, based on a stake in the company.

1:32Forbes now ranks him as the world's 13th richest person as of Thursday morning. Huang has more than a 3.5 % stake in NVIDIA, making him the company's largest shareholder. NVIDIA's announcement about Huang's departure said only that he would resign his positions as CEO and president and give up his space on the board, and did not give any indication he could divest from any of his shares in the company. NVIDIA has not yet responded to requests for comment. Huang has been married to his wife Lori since the mid-1980s, after the two first met as students at Oregon State University, long before he founded NVIDIA.

2:12The now former CEO has said Lori has, quote, been part of NVIDIA every step of the way. According to NVIDIA's 2026 proxy, most of the shares attributed to Jensen Huang are held in trusts in which both spouses are co-trustees, and as a result, quote, may be deemed to have shared beneficial interest. It's unclear if the two may have signed a prenuptial agreement before they got married, or a postnuptial agreement after they were already married, which could have specified if any of their assets should be separate rather than jointly held. California is a community property state, which means that any assets that were acquired during the marriage, which would include Huang's stake in NVIDIA and any income from the company, must be divided 50-50 during a divorce, unless explicitly determined to be one person's separate property.

3:05That means Lori Huang could be entitled to half of her husband's fortune should they divorce. Depending on how Nvidia's stock performs, receiving half of her husband's fortune could potentially give her at least$70 billion. However, the exact share would depend on any specific agreements the two signed and whether Jensen Huang could claim any property was his alone. Jensen Huang recently told colleagues his wife, quote, has done everything for him, including signing paperwork and managing their finances, according to what the Wall Street Journal reported last Sunday. Huang also joked he, quote, didn't know his own address or pay any of his bills.

3:46This could all suggest that many of their assets are likely jointly held. If Lori Huang did receive half of her husband's 12-figure fortune, it could be even more than other recent billionaire divorce settlements. Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, Mackenzie Scott, received a stake an Amazon that was equivalent to approximately$36 billion when the two divorced. The full details of Melinda French-Gates' 2021 divorce settlement with Bill Gates are still mostly unclear. However, she has received billions of dollars from her ex-husband, including him giving at least$12.5 billion just to French-Gates' personal philanthropic endeavors.

4:25He has also transferred billions of dollars' worth of stock to her in the years after their divorce. We don't know if any divorce will take place, and as of now, it's just speculation. Jensen Huang apologized to his wife for his affair with Alice Huang in a statement last Sunday, noting his actions, quote, hurt her and our children, and saying he, quote, takes full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused. Huang has not publicly confirmed the reports of his affair with Powell, only telling the New York Times when reached for comment, quote, I don't think you should be talking to me directly.

5:02As of Thursday, Lori Huang has not yet responded publicly to her husband's extramarital affair or given any indication of if she intends for them to remain married. For full coverage, check out Alison Durkee's piece on Forbes.com. This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes. Thanks for tuning in.

5:29Thank you.