AI investor Leopold Aschenbrenner forced to unwind all public stock positions after steep losses, sources say
CNBC · 2026-07-30
AI investor Leopold Aschenbrenner's hedge fund, Situational Awareness, was compelled to sell all its public stock holdings following significant losses, with Ken Griffin’s Citadel hedge fund reportedly acquiring the positions. Situational Awareness, which had grown to $45 billion, incurred substantial losses recently, particularly from investments in AI infrastructure like SK Hynix. Aschenbrenner founded the fund after departing OpenAI in 2024, quickly gaining prominence in AI investing due to his earlier impressive returns. The 25-year-old's investment thesis centered on the belief that powerful AI systems would necessitate a massive expansion of chips, memory, data centers, and electricity generation. This unraveling marks a critical test for his investment strategy.
*The full article also explores Aschenbrenner's background at OpenAI, including his dismissal and his views on AI infrastructure development.*