SEC Probes $30 Billion A.I. Hedge Fund After Near-Implosion
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24
SEC Probes $30 Billion A.I. Hedge Fund After Near-Implosion
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24
Summary
Subpoenas sent by the SEC to banks sought records on Situational Awareness’s late-July trades, leverage discussions and related communications, with orders to preserve information.
The inquiry follows the near-collapse of the San Francisco hedge fund, which had managed more than $30 billion and borrowed tens of billions to amplify bets on A.I. stocks.
Losses mounted when highflying A.I. shares fell and traditional tech stocks the fund had shorted rose, forcing a fire sale of most of its stock portfolio to Citadel at a discount.
Leopold Aschenbrenner’s two-year-old fund has not been accused of wrongdoing, and the SEC investigation is still at an early stage with no guarantee of charges or fines.
Situational Awareness still retains an Anthropic stake that could gain value if the company pursues an IPO at up to a $2 trillion valuation.