Tech

NYT: ‘Howard Lutnick Took Softer Line on Nvidia as Calls for Tougher Controls Grew’

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 13/11/2026, 15:37:23 UTC.

Briefings

A July 2026 profile by Ana Swanson, Tripp Mickle, Maggie Haberman, and Jonathan Swan reveals Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary, prioritizes Nvidia chip controls over other firms. Lutnick frequently meets with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Lutnick's office, with Nvidia routed through Deputy Jeff Kessler. Lutnick reportedly told Huang, 'Dude, seriously, smell my finger...'

Key points

• Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary, prioritizes Nvidia chip controls over other firms, with issues sent through specific channels.
• Lutnick frequently meets with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Lutnick's office, with Nvidia routed through Deputy Jeff Kessler.

Context

Senior Trump administration officials agree the US should tighten Nvidia controls to prevent China from dominating AI. Lutnick, Commerce Secretary, frequently calls and messages with Huang, and the department prepares for private meetings in Lutnick's office.

Limitations

Profile is a long, deeply-sourced piece from July 2026. Specific dates for Lutnick's meetings are not provided. Some details about the frequency of meetings and the exact nature of the 'smell my finger' comment are inferred from the text.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 13/11/2026, 16:00:56 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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