# Jensen Huang: a man's downfall begins when he loses his own values

A man's downfall rarely begins with the loss of money, influence or prestige. Most of the time, it begins in silence, when he abandons his principles and lets his choices compromise what took a lifetime to build.

- Section: Culture & Management
- Published: November 10, 2026
- Address: https://ceoone.com.br/en/article/jensen-huang-a-man-downfall-begins-when-he-loses-his-own-values
- Em português: https://ceoone.com.br/artigo/jensen-huang-a-ruina-do-homem-comeca-quando-ele-perde-seus-proprios-va.md

![Jensen Huang, in a black leather jacket, gestures with both hands in front of a backdrop with the Nvidia and CES logos](https://pub-b80e49b2737940b3ab5d3f20d0578192.r2.dev/artigos/jensen-huang-a-ruina-do-homem-comeca-quando-ele-perde-seus-proprios-va-foto.webp)

Photo: Maurizio Pesce/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

## Key points

- Ricardo Battistini starts from the case of Jensen Huang, Nvidia's CEO, who acknowledged an extramarital relationship with a woman suspected, according to the press, of ties to Chinese espionage.
- He recalls the Japanese saying nomu, utsu, kau (drinking, gambling and buying), about drink, gambling and women, and adds a fourth path to ruin: power.
- For the author, none of these defeats comes from outside: to lead is, above all, to govern oneself, and greatness lies in the values one preserves.

*By Ricardo Battistini*

The case of Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, one of the most valuable companies in the world, invites this reflection.

The executive acknowledged an extramarital relationship with a woman who, according to the press, is suspected of involvement in Chinese espionage. Nvidia opened an independent investigation, although it says there is so far no indication that confidential information has been compromised.

Whatever the outcome, the episode shows how a deeply personal decision can go beyond private life and reach the family, the career and an entire institution.

In Japan, an old popular saying sums up the paths by which a man tends to lose his way: 飲む・打つ・買う (nomu, utsu, kau), "drinking, gambling and buying", a reference to drink, gambling and women. It is a simple piece of wisdom that has crossed generations precisely because it remains relevant. I would add a fourth path: power. Perhaps the most treacherous of all, because it is power that convinces us we are above the other three.

The most revealing thing is that none of these defeats comes from outside. It is not the competitor, the crisis or the market that brings the leader down, but the leader himself, in a moment of carelessness, vanity or overconfidence. The higher one climbs, the narrower the margin for error and the louder the fall.

In the law of cause and effect, no action is separate from its consequences. Neither fortune nor recognition makes anyone immune to responsibility for their choices.

To lead, therefore, is not only to steer companies and people. It is, above all, to govern oneself. True greatness lies not in the empire one builds, but in the values one preserves, because sometimes a single choice is enough to put a lifetime of achievements at risk.

## Sources and editorial notes

- Meaning of 飲む打つ買う, Nihongo Master
- Meaning of 飲む打つ買う, RomajiDesu

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