The Information column: Jensen Huang may ultimately be unable to avoid stepping down, yet Nvidia cannot find a number two figure.

Nvidia shares fell 4% on Monday while AMD rose 13% and Broadcom gained nearly 9%, as CEO Jensen Huang faces investigations by the company's board, Congress and the FBI over an alleged affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. The Information columnist Martin Peers argues that even if the board clears Huang, his reputation as AI's leading evangelist may not fully recover, and the deeper concern for shareholders is Nvidia's lack of an obvious second-in-command—a key-person risk the market has overlooked in its valuation. CFO Colette Kress could serve as an interim replacement but is not seen as a permanent successor, with AMD CEO Lisa Su and Arm CEO Rene Haas floated as outside candidates, though Su's rivalry with Nvidia and family ties to Huang complicate that option. The scrutiny is expected to distract Huang from running a business now facing stronger competition, exemplified by Google's new AI chips unveiled Monday in partnership with AMD. Huang told staff in a Sunday email that he is "committed to protecting Nvidia," which some read as a willingness to fall on his sword.