Leopold Aschenbrenner rose to prominence last year when several media outlets reported that he was fired from OpenAI for allegedly leaking information.
Aschenbrenner, 23, was part of a team at OpenAI responsible for ensuring that advanced AI systems act safely and follow human values. Aschenbrenner’s ouster came after an internal dispute at OpenAI over whether the company was developing AI safely enough, The Information reported in April.
In a popular manifesto titled “Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead,” Aschenbrenner, who graduated as a valedictorian from Columbia University in 2021 at the age of 19, warned that advanced AI systems will pose national security threats in the coming years, and while the technology is creating a lot of buzz worldwide, “few have the faintest glimmer of what is about to hit them.”
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Instead of stepping back from AI, the German-born Aschenbrenner decided to leverage his deep expertise in the field to make money. He established San Francisco-based hedge fund Situational Awareness to bet on AI companies. The fund now manages over $1.5 billion and returned 47% after fees in the first half of 2025, according to The Wall Street Journal. Situational Awareness LP is backed by Stripe cofounders Patrick Collison and John Collison, as well as tech investors Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross.
Let’s take a look at some of the top stock picks of the fund based on its latest filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Broadcom
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) was among the top AI holdings of Situational Awareness as of the end of the June quarter. The fund has a $328.5 million stake in the company. Broadcom shares are up 45% this year.
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Core Scientific
Digital asset mining services and data center company Core Scientific (NASDAQ:CORZ) shares are up 16% so far this year. Aschenbrenner’s fund has a $267.2 million stake in the company. CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV) in July agreed to acquire Core Scientific in an all-stock deal. The transaction values Core Scientific at $9 billion, or $20.40 per share.
Vistra Corp.
Texas-based electricity and power company Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) accounts for about 6% of Situation Awareness LP’s portfolio. The fund owns about 1.3 million shares of the company. The stock is up about 34% in 2025.
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EQT Corp.
Natural gas production and transmission company EQT Corp. (NYSE:EQT) is one of the top picks of Situational Awareness LP as of the end of the second quarter. The fund owns about 2.1 million shares of the company. The stock is up about 21% in 2025.
Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy Corp. (NASDAQ:CEG) is a Maryland-based utility company providing electricity and natural gas to residential and commercial customers. Situation Awareness owns 319,200 shares of the company. The stock is up 50% this year.
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