Telegram founder Pavel Durov has taken a sarcastic dig at the controversy engulfing Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, joking on X that no spy agency has ever tried to seduce him.
"Not one spy girl sent my way," he wrote on Thursday, asking where the French, Russian and Iranian "honeypots" were and whether they were "even trying".
A honeypot is an intelligence operation that uses romantic or sexual relationships to extract information from, or gain influence over, a target.
Durov claimed it was unfair that CEOs not interested in Asian women get fewer "dating options" from intelligence agencies. He said France should be excused because its decision-makers are not interested in women, and urged everyone else to "try harder".
He did not name Huang, and the post appeared to be satire.
The jibe comes as Huang faces the biggest crisis of his career. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Nvidia's board was preparing to oust him after two extramarital affairs, one with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.
In a memo to staff on Sunday, Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and took "full responsibility", without giving details. The board has opened an investigation into whether he was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
The woman, Alice Huang, is someone US intelligence has said was involved in facilitating Nvidia chip shipments to Chinese firms. China has rejected the espionage claims, and she has not responded to requests for comment.
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Nvidia shares fell about 8% in after-hours trading, and the company, valued at roughly $4 trillion, has lost about $600 billion in market value this week.
US President Donald Trump has backed Huang, and Elon Musk replied "That would be an honor" when a user asked him on X to hire the Nvidia chief.
Durov has his own history with French authorities. He was arrested at Le Bourget airport on 24 August 2024 after stepping off his private jet. He was charged with complicity in illegal acts linked to Telegram and released on bail of 5 million euros.
He has been questioned several times since, and in August 2025 he described the arrest as a legal absurdity, saying investigators had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Durov holds Russian, French and UAE citizenship, and Telegram is based in the UAE. He founded the messaging app in 2013.
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