Leopold Aschenbrenner, a 24-year-old with no trading experience, built Situational Awareness into a $16bn AI-focused hedge fund sensation, returning over 400% in the first half of 2026. Backed by Nat Friedman and Peter Thiel, the fund collapsed in July as positions in Bloom Energy and Sandisk plunged. Facing pressure from prime brokers, Aschenbrenner sold most public equity holdings in a fire sale.

Ken Griffin's Citadel beat Millennium Management and Jane Street to acquire a significant portion of the portfolio in one of Wall Street's largest and swiftest stock transactions. The deal left Aschenbrenner with remaining public shares and private stakes including Anthropic.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase advises FIFA on a $20bn World Cup commercialization plan backed by Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal, sparking UEFA and CONCACAF boycotts. This marks JPMorgan's second controversial football advisory role after the 2021 Super League debacle.

Aston Martin, controlled by Lawrence Stroll, triggered creditor outrage by moving collateral to secure a new £550mn loan from HPS, a BlackRock-owned firm, without disclosing which assets were shifted. Existing lenders Arini Capital and Tresidor Investment Management have challenged the transaction.