Billionaire investor Ken Griffin's Citadel rescued Leopold Aschenbrenner's AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness in late July 2026, purchasing most of its $16 billion public equities portfolio at a discount after the fund suffered a catastrophic 67% loss in a single month.
The deal, executed in less than 24 hours after Griffin personally spoke with the 24-year-old fund manager, prevented what could have become a broader market contagion event and immediately sparked a relief rally in AI stocks.
