WSJ: Situational Awareness agreed to sell $3.5B of Anthropic stock, then backed out
- Raised
- $3.5B
- Place in VP50
- #1
- Source
- 1
- Claims verified
- 0 of 5
What happened
The Wall Street Journal reported on 31 July 2026 that Situational Awareness, the hedge fund of Leopold Aschenbrenner, reached a deal late on Wednesday, 29 July, to sell $3.5 billion worth of its stake in Anthropic. The buyer was a consortium of investors led by Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital. Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said the fund had an apparent change of heart by Thursday morning and backed out, so the sale did not go ahead.
The report appeared in an article headlined on the fund falling 67% in July during an AI stock rout. The readable part of the article did not state a price per share, a valuation for Anthropic, the other members of the consortium or a reason for the reversal, and it carried no comment from Anthropic, Greenoaks, Sequoia Capital or the fund. The $3.5 billion figure and the sequence of events came from unnamed sources.
Key points
- Situational Awareness reached a deal late Wednesday to sell $3.5 billion of its Anthropic stake, the WSJ reported.1
- The buyer was a consortium of investors led by Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital.1
- The fund backed out by Thursday morning after an apparent change of heart, per people familiar with the matter.1
- The WSJ headline reports the fund down 67% in July amid an AI stock rout.1
Why it matters
A consortium led by Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital reportedly agreed to take $3.5 billion of Anthropic stock in one transaction, which suggests a large block had buyers. The report rests on unnamed sources.
Because the fund backed out, the sale set no price for Anthropic shares, and the report gives none. It adds no new mark to compare with the last round.
The reversal shows that a sale of this size depended on the holder's decision as well as on buyers. The readable part of the WSJ report gave no reason for the fund's change of heart.
In context
| Round | Date | Post-money valuation | Raised | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series E | Mar 3, 2025 | $62B | $3.5B | Lightspeed Venture Partners |
| Series F | Sep 2, 2025 | $183B | $13B | Fidelity Management & Research Company, ICONIQ, and Lightspeed Venture Partners |
| Series G | Feb 12, 2026 | $380B | $30B | Coatue, D. E. Shaw Ventures, Dragoneer, Founders Fund, GIC, ICONIQ, and MGX |
| Series H | May 28, 2026 | $965B | $65B | Altimeter Capital, Capital Group, Coatue, D1 Capital Partners, Dragoneer, GIC, Greenoaks, ICONIQ, Sequoia Capital, and XN |
Updated
Fact-check
- Situational Awareness reached a deal to sell $3.5 billion of its Anthropic stake to a consortium led by Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital.Rests on the writer's read of [1] The Wall Street Journal (deal late Wednesday to sell $3.5 billion of the Anthropic stake to a Greenoaks- and Sequoia-led consortium, per people familiar) and our research notes; the WSJ page was blocked for the checker.Partly verified
- The fund backed out of the sale by Thursday morning.Rests on the writer's read of [1] The Wall Street Journal (apparent change of heart by Thursday morning) and our research notes; the WSJ page was blocked for the checker.Partly verified
- The deal was reached late on Wednesday 29 July 2026.Per the writer's read, [1] says late Wednesday and is dated 31 July 2026; 29 July is the event record's date. The WSJ page was blocked for the checker.Partly verified
- Situational Awareness was down 67% in July 2026.Stated in the [1] Wall Street Journal headline as recorded in the source list; the page itself was blocked for the checker.Partly verified
- Situational Awareness is the hedge fund of Leopold Aschenbrenner.Rests on the writer's read of [1]; the WSJ page was blocked for the checker.Partly verified
Sources
- [1]The Wall Street Journal (opens in a new tab)Situational Awareness Down 67% in July in AI Stock Routbacked out of deal to sell $3.5 billion of Anthropic shares
