AI news, 12 November: Nvidia board weighs ousting CEO Jensen Huang amid scandals
Nvidia board meets over possible ouster of CEO Jensen Huang. According to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, Nvidia’s board convened late on 11 November to consider removing longtime CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang. The move follows his admission of an extramarital affair with a businesswoman U.S. intelligence has linked to Chinese spying concerns, plus New York Times reports of a second alleged affair with an Nvidia executive who reports to him. Shares fell sharply (around 8% after hours in some reports), wiping hundreds of billions from the company’s market value this week. The board had earlier hired law firm Wachtell Lipton to investigate national-security angles and expressed confidence in Huang; there is no obvious successor. Huang’s potential exit would shake the company that supplies most of the chips powering today’s AI boom. Outcomes remain unconfirmed.
Google DeepMind releases AlphaGenome 2 for cell-specific DNA insights. DeepMind announced AlphaGenome 2, an AI model that predicts how genetic variants affect gene activity in specific human cell types and states rather than averaging across tissues. Trained on more than 100 million cell profiles, it identified nearly twice as many causal variants as its predecessor on key tests, according to the company. It is available immediately via API for non-commercial research (private preview for commercial use) and is not approved for clinical diagnosis. Scientists say it could help pinpoint cellular drivers of disease and guide experiments more precisely.
OpenAI quarterly revenue tops $10 billion for the first time. Reports from Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch say OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue reached about $10 billion, up nearly 50% from $6.7 billion in the prior quarter, with an annualized run rate near $50 billion. Enterprise demand (coding, cybersecurity and agents) drove much of the growth and now roughly matches consumer revenue. Adjusted operating losses remained large at around $10.9 billion, though the loss margin improved. The figures were shared with investors amid ongoing fundraising.
TSMC approves up to $1 billion in stakes in Anthropic and OpenAI. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s board authorized investments of up to $500 million each—Anthropic common shares at its IPO price and OpenAI preferred stock—according to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. The world’s leading contract chipmaker is deepening financial ties to two major AI model developers that rely heavily on its advanced manufacturing. The moves are authorizations, not yet completed purchases, and come alongside large capital spending approvals for chip capacity.
United Airlines blocks unauthorized AI agents from booking flights. United said it will prevent third-party personal AI assistants from completing ticket purchases or account actions on its platforms or via agencies, citing privacy risks, unintended transactions and federal rules (for example, human attestation that bags contain no explosives). Agents may still display flight options. CEO Scott Kirby noted a desire to avoid new middlemen. The policy, reported by The Verge and the Wall Street Journal, highlights growing friction as AI agents try to handle real-world transactions.