Wachtell, Nvidia’s pick for Huang probe, built reputation in boardroom battles

Nvidia has become the latest company in crisis to turn to Wall Street law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, as the chipmaker faces fallout from reports that CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with a ‌businesswoman alleged to be a spy for China.

Nvidia’s board said on Monday that it selected Wachtell, a small but elite Manhattan firm that has long earned top fees advising on big mergers and fierce takeover fights, to conduct “a thorough and independent investigation” into the matter.

The investigation will be led by Joon Kim, a former top federal prosecutor who joined Wachtell last month from a rival firm. Kim was second-in-command under former Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara during Democratic US President Barack Obama’s administration.