Telegram founder mocks Jensen Huang over alleged Chinese spy links
What's the story
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has poked fun at the espionage scandal involving NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and a suspected Chinese spy. Durov made light of the situation by joking that foreign intelligence agencies have missed him for their "honeypot" dating operations. The term "honeypot" is often used to describe an intelligence operation where romantic or sexual relationships are exploited to gather information or sway someone.
Public response
Mixed reactions to Durov's post
Durov's humorous take on the espionage allegations against Huang was met with mixed reactions on social media.
Some users joined in on the joke, while others criticized his references to women from different countries.
"Unfair that CEOs who aren't into Asian girls get fewer dating options from spy agencies," Durov wrote in one of his posts.
Inquiry
Durov questions why intelligence agencies haven't approached him
In another post, Durov questioned why foreign intelligence agencies hadn't tried to approach him.
"Where are the French/Russian/Iranian honeypots? Not one spy girl sent my way. Are they even trying?" he asked.
The comments were made in light of the espionage scandal involving Huang, who recently admitted to an extramarital affair and apologized to his wife, family, and colleagues.
Scandal details
Espionage allegations against NVIDIA CEO
According to The New York Times, US intelligence officials suspect Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed International, of being a Chinese spy.
The report alleged she had an affair with Jensen Huang to collect intel and possibly sway his stance on US restrictions on advanced chip exports to China.
These allegations remain unproven, and China has dismissed them as baseless.
Inquiry initiation
NVIDIA investigating allegations
In light of these allegations, NVIDIA's board has launched an independent investigation to determine if its CEO was targeted in a foreign intelligence operation.
The company has maintained that it has no reason to believe that national security information or corporate secrets were compromised.
Durov's references to intelligence agencies and "honeypots" seemed to be inspired by these allegations.
Twitter Post
Durov's post
Unfair that CEOs who aren’t into Asian girls get fewer dating options from spy agencies.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) November 11, 2026
Where are the French/Russian/Iranian honeypots? Not one spy girl sent my way. Are they even trying?
France is excused — their decision-makers aren’t into girls. Everyone else: try harder!