What we know about Joon H. Kim and Wachtell, the law firm probing Jensen Huang

Joon Kim is a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Nvidia's board said Tuesday that it has tapped an elite Wall Street law firm to head a probe into CEO Jensen Huang amid scrutiny of his relationship to a suspected Chinese spy.The independent members of the AI chipmaker's board said in a statement that they hired former top Manhattan federal prosecutor Joon H. Kim and his New York firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to conduct a "thorough and independent investigation."The board announced Sunday that it would launch an independent investigation into whether Huang was the "target of a foreign intelligence effort" after he admitted to having an extramarital affair.At the center of the saga is Alice Huang, whom The New York Times reported last month was believed by US intelligence officials to be acting as a spy for the Chinese government.Wachtell, a corporate law powerhouse founded in 1965, is known for advising major companies and their boards on mergers, corporate governance, shareholder fights, and other high-stakes issues."We handle some of the largest, most complex and demanding transactions in the United States and around the world," the firm says on its website.One of the firm's founding partners, Martin Lipton, famously developed the "poison pill" defense, a strategy used by corporate boards to fend off a hostile takeover.More recently, the firm represented Twitter when it sued Elon Musk in 2022, forcing him to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the company. The NBA also hired Wachtell in 2021 to investigate workplace misconduct allegations against the Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver. Sarver was suspended for a year following the investigation and fined $10 million.The NBA again hired Wachtell to investigate whether the LA Clippers and player Kawhi Leonard violated salary cap circumvention rules. In September, the NBA fined the Clippers $30 million and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for one year, citing the investigation. Jensen Huang has been seen on several occasions with Alice Huang, the woman at the center of the scandal. Obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS A former US attorney whose focus includes internal investigationsKim joined the firm last month as a partner in Wachtell's litigation department after nearly a decade at the white-shoe firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.According to his biography on Wachtell's website, Kim focuses on "high-stakes litigation and enforcement, including internal investigations, white-collar criminal and regulatory defense, commercial litigation, arbitration, and crisis management."Kim regularly counsels companies, boards, government agencies, and executives in their "most significant litigation, enforcement, and investigative matters," the bio says.He previously served as acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2017 to 2018. In that role, he oversaw the work of more than 220 assistant US attorneys handling criminal and civil cases across a range of matters, including fraud, public and private corruption, money laundering, and economic espionage.Years earlier, from 2000 to 2006, Kim served as an assistant US attorney in the Southern District, investigating and prosecuting an array of crimes.During that time, he helped secure convictions against several high-ranking organized crime figures, including Peter Gotti, the brother of the notorious mob boss John Gotti.More recently, in 2021, New York Attorney General Letitia James appointed Kim to co-lead an independent investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then-governor Andrew Cuomo.Cuomo announced his resignation after the investigation concluded that he sexually harassed multiple women. Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Natalie is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Business News team covering the AI and data center boom.She was previously on BI's Legal Affairs team, where she handled major cases coming out of state and federal court, as well as bankruptcy. Her coverage often focused on stories at the intersection of law, business, politics, and technology. Natalie has covered Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the wave of lawsuits against the second Trump administration, the indictment and criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the legal battles facing Elon Musk and his companies. Natalie came to Business Insider in June 2021 as a breaking news reporter, focusing on the most interesting angles on the day's trending news. Natalie largely drove BI’s coverage around the fatal “Rust” shooting involving Alec Baldwin and the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.Prior to joining BI, Natalie worked for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and The Brooklyn Paper. She has an extensive background covering crime and courts. During her more than 12-year journalism career, she did a stint covering the police beat out of the New York Police Department's headquarters. Natalie, a Brooklyn native, graduated from Brooklyn College in 2012 with a degree in journalism. Kelsey Vlamis is a senior reporter for Business Insider, where she covers business and tech news. She also writes business stories about travel, luxury, and culture. 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