The loss of Situational Awareness
Shows how high-leverage bets on AI infrastructure can unwind quickly, erasing billions and concentrating control in a few buyers, with ripple effects across the AI market.
At a glance
- Citadel purchased the bulk of Situational Awareness's public portfolio after steep losses, reshaping the fund’s exposure and liquidity.
- Assets under management fell to roughly $10 billion, down from about $20 billion in recent months, after peaking around $45 billion.
- Largest public holdings included Nebius Group, SanDisk, Micron, and CoreWeave, all of which have fallen more than 30% over the past month.
- The fund continued to hold a private Anthropic stake, reportedly valued at about $5 billion, with Anthropic last valued around $9.65 billion in May; the potential IPO could alter those dynamics.
The story
TechCrunch reports that Situational Awareness, a hedge fund formed by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, sold the majority of its public stock portfolio to Ken Griffin’s Citadel after a slide in AI-related equities. The fund’s early momentum was described as strong, but recent weeks have seen a sharp downturn in AI infrastructure bets.
According to TechCrunch, assets under management fell to roughly $10 billion, down from around $20 billion in recent months, with CNBC noting that the fund’s peak was as high as $45 billion. The sale to Citadel fits a pattern of large players stepping in to acquire assets when leveraged funds face unwind pressure, especially in AI-related names.
The fund’s largest public holdings before the sale included memory chip producers SanDisk, Nebius Group, Micron, and CoreWeave, all of which had dropped more than 30% over the previous month, contributing to the unwind and souring investor sentiment.
Situational Awareness still held a private stake in Anthropic, valued at about $5 billion according to Bloomberg. Anthropic was last valued at $965 billion in a May Series H round, with expectations of a public listing potentially as soon as October, a dynamic that could alter the private-to-public value mix for the fund. Private investments also included MatX and Fluidstack, with Fluidstack reportedly in talks to raise a new round at an announced $18 billion valuation.
CNBC reported that Citadel’s purchase aligns with a broader pattern of Citadel acquiring positions when other funds are forced to unwind. The fund had attracted backers including Jane Street and Stripe co-founders, and Situational Awareness’ story has become a touchstone for discussions about risk, liquidity, and governance in AI-focused investing.