From 439% Gains to Mass Liquidation: Aschenbrenner's Leveraged AI Fund Crash

FinanceYF5 · x · 2026-07-31

This thread reviews the trajectory of former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner and the collapse of his eponymous fund. A Columbia University prodigy who joined OpenAI's Superalignment team, Aschenbrenner was fired over alleged information leaks.

He launched his fund in late 2024, using his 165-page AGI prediction essay as an investment thesis to take highly leveraged, concentrated bets on AI infrastructure. The fund peaked with a 439% YTD return and over $20B in AUM. However, a July selloff in AI hardware reversed the trade, causing a 67% loss in a single month and forcing the fund to deleverage by selling most of its equity portfolio to Citadel.

Related event: Ex-OpenAI Staffer's AI Hedge Fund Blows Up, Citadel Takes Over $16B(41 posts)→

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