KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Jensen Huang has privately berated himself over the personal scandal surrounding his departure from Nvidia, with Bloomberg reporting his concerns now centre on his wife and the other women publicly linked to him.

Citing people who had spoken with him in recent days, the news agency reported that the chipmaker’s co-founder had described himself as a “piece of sh--.”

According to Bloomberg, Huang had also expressed concern about “ruining the lives” of the women romantically linked to him in public, as scrutiny of his relationships intensified.

His private remarks followed a November 8 message to employees, published by Nvidia, in which he admitted being unfaithful and apologised for hurting his wife and children.

“I hope our family will heal and that, over time, I can earn back your trust,” he wrote.

At work, Bloomberg reported, the executive who usually responded to employees’ priority updates at almost any hour had begun taking longer to reply as the controversy grew.

The news agency said directors ultimately required Huang to resign after The New York Times reported an alleged extramarital relationship with Nvidia healthcare vice-president Kimberly Powell.

That report followed scrutiny of his relationship with Alice Huang, whom Bloomberg described as suspected of spying for China.

Nvidia announced an independent investigation into reports of a foreign intelligence effort on November 8, saying at the time that its board had no reason to believe national security or company secrets had been compromised.

A regulatory filing confirms that Huang’s resignation as president, chief executive and director took effect on November 11, with chief financial officer Colette Kress appointed interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement.

Kress reportedly acknowledged employees’ difficulties and thanked them for their continued work in an email reviewed by, writing: “I believe deeply in this company and in its future.”

Bloomberg said it could not reach Huang for comment.