Jensen Huang affair controversy: 10 American company CEO's who resigned after their extramarital affairs or relationships became public

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's admission of infidelity has led tp attention to the personal controversies that have cost several prominent American business leaders their positions. While Huang's situation has not resulted in his departure from Nvidia, other executives have stepped down after their relationships with colleagues or extramarital affairs became the subject of company investigations and public scrutiny.

Here are 10 American business leaders who left their companies following such controversies.

Harry Stonecipher – Boeing (2005)

In March 2005, the company’s board asked Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher to resign afterlearning about his extramarital affair with a female executive. An internal investigation concluded the relationship was a poor judgment call and raised questions about his ability to lead the company.


Stonecipher submitted his resignation, which the board accepted.

Darren Huston – Priceline (2016)

Darren Huston resigned as Priceline Group's president and CEO in April 2016 following an investigation into his relationship with a company employee.

The board concluded that his conduct was inconsistent with the company's code of conduct and fell short of its expectations for executive behaviour. Huston acknowledged the findings and expressed regret. He had been leading Priceline since January 2014 and also stepped down as CEO of Booking.com.

Brian Krzanich – Intel (2018)

Brian Krzanich resigned as Intel CEO in June 2018 after an investigation established that he had previously been involved in a consensual relationship with an employee.

Although the relationship had reportedly ended before he became CEO in 2013, it violated Intel's non-fraternisation policy, which applied to all managers. The company said the investigation had confirmed the violation, leading to his departure.

Jeff Zucker – CNN (2022)

Jeff Zucker resigned as CNN president in February 2022 after disclosing his consensual relationship with Allison Gollust, the network's executive vice-president and chief marketing officer.

The relationship emerged during an investigation into former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo's departure. Zucker acknowledged that he had failed to disclose the relationship when it began, as required by company policy.

In a memo to employees, he said: "I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today."

Gollust also subsequently left CNN.

Jeff Shell – NBCUniversal (2023)

Jeff Shell left his position as NBCUniversal CEO in April 2023 following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination.

Shell acknowledged having a relationship with a woman at the company and apologised to his colleagues. Comcast, NBCUniversal's parent company, said its investigation had corroborated allegations of sexual harassment. His departure ended a 19-year association with the business.

Per-Olof Loof – KEMET Corporation (2018)

Per-Olof Loof resigned as CEO of electronic components manufacturer KEMET Corporation in December 2018 following a board investigation into a consensual personal relationship with an employee.

The company's regulatory filing said the investigation also examined related actions that were inconsistent with its policies. KEMET announced that its executive vice-president and chief financial officer, William M. Lowe Jr., would take over as CEO. The company did not disclose the employee's identity.

Patrick Byrne – Overstock.com (2019)

Patrick Byrne stepped down as Overstock.com CEO in August 2019 after publicly revealing his affair with Maria Butina, a Russian national later convicted in the US of conspiring to act as an agent of the Russian government.

Byrne told The New York Times that their relationship had lasted around three years after they met at a political conference in 2015.

His departure was also connected to the wider controversy surrounding his public statements about his involvement with federal investigations. He announced that he was leaving both his CEO position and the company's board.

Andy Byron – Astronomer (2025)

Andy Byron resigned as Astronomer's CEO in July 2025 after footage from a Coldplay concert showed him embracing the company's chief people officer, Kristin Cabot.

The video went viral, triggering widespread speculation about their relationship. Astronomer subsequently placed Byron on leave and launched an investigation before announcing his resignation. Cabot also left the company.

However, the company did not publicly confirm that the two had an affair.

Jide Zeitlin – Tapestry (2020)

Jide Zeitlin, former chairman and CEO of Tapestry, the parent company of Coach and Kate Spade, resigned in July 2020 following an investigation into allegations concerning his past relationship with a woman.

Zeitlin acknowledged having had an inappropriate relationship with the woman more than a decade earlier. In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, he said: "In the past month, a woman I photographed and had a relationship with more than 10 years ago reached out to various media organizations to express her concerns about what had occurred."

Investigative reporting by ProPublica subsequently revealed that the relationship was an extramarital affair in 2007, when Zeitlin was married. He later said he did not want to become a distraction for Tapestry.

Brian Dunn – Best Buy (2012)

Brian Dunn stepped down as Best Buy CEO in April 2012 amid a board investigation into his conduct. The probe found that his close personal relationship with a female employee had affected the workplace and breached company policy.

Best Buy criticised his judgement and professionalism, although it did not officially describe the relationship as an affair. Dunn had denied the allegations when they first emerged. He had spent 28 years with the retailer, including three as its chief executive.