Meet the Nostradamus of AI who built a $20 billion hedge fund before turning 25 | Latest Tech News
A 24-year-old AI wunderkind dubbed the “Nostradamus of AI” has grow to be Wall Street’s latest obsession after growing his hedge fund into a more than $20 billion powerhouse in less than two years.
Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former OpenAI researcher with no skilled investing expertise, launched Situational Awareness in 2024 with a few hundred million {dollars} — and has since ridden a sequence of blockbuster AI bets to eye-popping returns.
The Germany-born investor has grow to be a cult determine among merchants and tech executives, with followers poring over his regulatory filings for clues about his next transfer and even copying his trades through investing apps, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Leopold Aschenbrenner, 24, is founder of Situational Awareness. (*25*)/Leopold Aschenbrenner
The hype has been matched by staggering beneficial properties.
Situational Awareness has gained about 270% after charges this 12 months through May and is up more than 1,000% since inception, according to the Journal, placing Aschenbrenner among the best-performing traders of the AI period.
The firm’s fast ascent has put it in the same neighborhood as hedge fund heavyweights such as Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square and Dan Loeb’s Third Point, according to the Journal.
One of the firm’s most profitable bets has been a stake in AI startup Anthropic, which now accounts for roughly one-fifth of its belongings. Its backers also embrace Jane Street, the notoriously selective trading giant that hardly ever allocates capital to exterior money managers, according to the Journal.
Aschenbrenner turned a distinguished voice in AI circles after publishing his 2024 essay, “Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead.” Columbia College
Investors have grow to be so keen to observe Aschenbrenner’s strikes that shares of photo voltaic producer T1 Energy jumped 23% in a single day after disclosures revealed Situational Awareness had taken a stake in the company.
Not every guess has labored. Situational Awareness was hit during the market turmoil that adopted the release of Chinese startup DeepSeek’s low-cost AI model last 12 months, though the fund shortly recovered as traders piled back into AI infrastructure performs.
Jane Street, the quantitative trading giant, is among the traders in Aschenbrenner’s hedge fund, according to the Wall Street Journal. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Before changing into a hedge fund supervisor, Aschenbrenner built a following in Silicon Valley with his 2024 essay “Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead,” which argued that artificial intelligence was advancing quickly enough to remodel the global financial system and reshape geopolitical competitors.
The paper made him a star in tech circles and earned him the nickname “Nostradamus of AI,” with podcaster Tim Ferriss praising his observe file on AI predictions.
A local of Germany, Aschenbrenner entered Columbia University at age 15 and graduated as class valedictorian before becoming a member of OpenAI, where he labored on the company’s Superalignment workforce.
The Post has sought remark from Aschenbrenner and Jane Street.
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