China Criticized for Bogus Post Of "Drunk" Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang In Vietnam

Following China's December 2024 announcement of an investigation into U.S. chip giant Nvidia for alleged anti-monopoly law violations, a misleading social media post featuring Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang circulated online, Joyce Zhang reported for Agence France-Presse.

Nvidia's dominant position as a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) chips has placed it at the center of the U.S.-China tech rivalry. I Photo: NVIDIA

The post falsely claimed Huang was photographed "drunk after losing the Chinese market." In reality, the photo was taken during Huang's first visit to Vietnam in 2023.

The caption on a Douyin (China's version of TikTok) post from December 13, 2024, read: "Having lost the Chinese market, Jensen Huang, drunk on the streets of Vietnam late at night, saw his hair turn white overnight, with his favorite leather jacket nowhere to be found, wearing only a T-shirt, embodying utter despair."

The accompanying photo showed Huang—known for his signature leather jacket—wearing a black T-shirt and sitting at a street food stall, holding chopsticks.

The post emerged shortly after China's State Administration for Market Regulation launched an antitrust probe into Nvidia on December 9, 2024.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that Nvidia is also suspected of breaching commitments made in 2020 during its acquisition of Israeli data center firm Mellanox Technologies Ltd.

In response to the allegations, an Nvidia spokesperson stated the company is "happy to answer any questions" regulators might have. Nvidia's dominant position as a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) chips has placed it at the center of the U.S.-China tech rivalry.