The ouster of Jensen Huang as Nvidia Corp. chief executive officer has sparked scrutiny in Washington, focusing on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Critics are questioning whether Lutnick's department failed to adequately prevent the company's advanced artificial intelligence chips from reaching China.
Lawmakers and critics suggest that Lutnick and his department may have shielded Nvidia as concerns grew over AI chip sales to firms such as Megaspeed. Some question if Lutnick's friendship with Huang and his ties to Chinese companies contributed to a lack of oversight regarding these sales.
Further criticism has emerged regarding the Trump administration's refusal to tighten export controls or add dozens of Chinese companies to a key U.S. trade blacklist. Despite these reports of lax efforts and growing pressure from lawmakers, President Donald Trump has given a vote of confidence to the Commerce Secretary.
These developments follow previous statements from Jensen Huang, who had praised Lutnick for his support and involvement in the industry.