Foreign intelligence services are mounting increasingly organized campaigns aimed at American technology executives, using tactics that can include so-called “honeytraps” to gain access to U.S. export-control information, supply chains and other sensitive intelligence, experts say.
The warning follows reports alleging that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang had an extramarital relationship with Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence reportedly identified as a Chinese intelligence asset operating under corporate cover.
Foreign espionage efforts directed at prominent technology leaders are not isolated events, but part of a long-running strategy to exploit corporate environments, former National Security Agency analyst and corporate cybersecurity expert Ira Winkler told News Media.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has urged the Trump administration to relax restrictions on advanced AI-chip sales to China, placing the company’s technology at the center of the U.S.-China competition for AI leadership. (Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“In this case, the honeytrap involved using sex, apparently, to establish a relationship that was not necessarily coercive but provided long-term access while appealing to the individual’s ego,” Winkler said. “These cases have occurred for decades, and arguably since the days of Samson, if you want to take a biblical view of how long honeytraps have existed.”
Rather than relying solely on traditional covert operations, foreign adversaries often approach technology executives through legitimate business settings, where normal professional interactions may lower their defenses, Winkler said.
“Technology events are prime targets because they give people opportunities to meet others who may have access,” Winkler explained.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets Chinese Vice President Han Zheng (3rd L) as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (2nd L), U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue (5th L) and NVIDIA co-founder, President and CEO Jensen Huang (R) look on after Trump’s arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport on May 13, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Chief executives rarely encounter one another casually on the street or in public places, Winkler noted. Instead, intelligence operatives may enter professional networks and industry events to create opportunities for contact.
In the case involving NVIDIA, Alice Huang reportedly gained access through business dealings as an executive associated with Singapore-based Megaspeed International. Federal investigators suspect the company operated as a front to help circumvent restrictions on AI hardware exports.
“This is where long-term access and cooperation can develop, potentially enabling efforts to evade export restrictions or obtain information,” Winkler said. “Spies are trained to socialize, meet people in professional and social settings, and turn those encounters into opportunities.”
The growing link between artificial intelligence and foreign espionage has intensified scrutiny of Silicon Valley’s leadership. Intelligence officials have cautioned executives to view routine networking and business relationships as potential entry points for foreign state actors, Winkler said.
Security specialists emphasize that human vulnerabilities remain one of the main avenues adversaries use when attempting to weaken America’s technological advantage.
Although popular accounts often depict honeytraps as quick schemes designed to trigger blackmail or immediate coercion, modern corporate espionage more often relies on sustained access over an extended period, Winkler said.
Instead of seeking instant leverage, foreign intelligence services may cultivate personal relationships to influence decision-making and collect insight into an executive’s priorities and operations.
“In this case, I doubt there was that degree of extortion,” Winkler said. “But the fact that the woman reportedly maintained a relationship with this individual for years, while allegedly acting on behalf of China, raises important questions.”