Leopold Aschenbrenner is one of the most notable figures in the current AI wave. From a German prodigy, graduating top of his class at Columbia University at age 19, he joined OpenAI's Superalignment team at just 21.

During his time at OpenAI, Leopold continuously warned that the AI industry was underestimating security issues and undervaluing the rapid emergence of AGI. An internal memo of his claiming “security is a joke” ultimately led to his dismissal in April 2024 due to allegations of leaking information.
But just two months later, he released a 165-page essay titled Situational Awareness — predicting that AGI could appear before 2027. The article quickly shocked the tech community in San Francisco and drew the attention of major figures like Patrick Collison, Nat Friedman, and Daniel Gross.
By September, Leopold had established his own investment fund at just 24 years old. Instead of pouring money into “big AI giants” like NVIDIA or Microsoft, he focused on acquiring AI infrastructure: power plants, fiber optic cables, SSDs, data centers, and even Bitcoin mining companies.
As a result, the fund reportedly grew from $254 million to $5.5 billion in just 12 months. An interesting paradox: the company that fired him ultimately became the reason he became a billionaire.