---
description: ARK Invest went from +153 percent in 2020 to -67 percent in 2022 using the same structural pattern Aschenbrenner now follows — the pattern cannot distinguish winners from losers until adversity tests conviction
type: claim
domain: livingip
created: 2026-03-05
confidence: proven
source: "Morningstar fund analysis, NPR, TheStreet, Fortune"
---

# The Cathie Wood failure mode shows that transparent thesis plus concentrated bets plus early outperformance is structurally identical whether the outcome is spectacular success or catastrophic failure

Cathie Wood (ARK Invest) and Leopold Aschenbrenner (Situational Awareness LP) followed the same structural pattern:

1. Genuine domain expertise (Wood: technology analyst; Aschenbrenner: OpenAI Superalignment team)
2. Transparent thesis published openly (Wood: free research, daily trade emails, YouTube; Aschenbrenner: 165-page essay)
3. Concentrated high-conviction bets on a structural technology thesis
4. Early massive outperformance attracting capital inflows (ARKK +153% in 2020; SA LP +47% H1 2025)
5. AUM exploding on narrative + returns (ARK: $0 → $60B; SA LP: $225M → $5.5B)

Wood's thesis was directionally correct — innovation and disruption do matter. But ARKK returned -23% in 2021 and -67% in 2022, making ARK the worst-performing fund family per Morningstar over the decade through 2024, destroying $14.3B in shareholder value. The thesis was right about direction, catastrophically wrong about timing and valuation.

The structural parallel is almost exact. The difference between Wood and Aschenbrenner so far is 18 months of context. ARKK looked brilliant through 2020. SA LP looks brilliant through H1 2025. Brilliance at this stage is necessary but not sufficient evidence the thesis is correct.

The pattern teaches something important for [[teleological investing answers three questions in sequence -- where must the industry go and where in the stack will value concentrate and who will control that position]]: correctly identifying the attractor state is the first step, not the last. You also need to get timing, valuation, and specific bottleneck position right. Wood identified the right direction (innovation disruption) but wrong positions (speculative biotech, overvalued EVs). Aschenbrenner's bet — power infrastructure as the binding constraint — is more specific and structural. Whether it holds depends on whether the AI infrastructure buildout actually becomes electricity-constrained in the way he predicts.

Since [[industry transitions produce speculative overshoot because correct identification of the attractor state attracts capital faster than the knowledge embodiment lag can absorb it]], both cases may illustrate the same dynamic: early correct identification → capital flood → valuations detach from fundamentals → correction. Aschenbrenner's fund has not been tested by a downturn. The Cathie Wood comparison is the most relevant cautionary tale available.

The Burry inversion sharpens this further: Michael Burry — the most famous case study of this exact pattern — just shut down his fund in 2025 while warning AI stocks are the next bubble. Two domain experts, same structural pattern, diametrically opposed theses. The pattern produces confident bets in both directions.

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Relevant Notes:
- [[Situational Awareness LP converted a 165-page thesis into a 5.5 billion dollar fund in 18 months by publishing differentiated analysis before raising capital]] — the case this is cautioning against
- [[industry transitions produce speculative overshoot because correct identification of the attractor state attracts capital faster than the knowledge embodiment lag can absorb it]] — both Wood and Aschenbrenner may be examples of this
- [[pioneers prove concepts but fast followers with better capital allocation capture most long-term value in industry transitions]] — Wood was a pioneer who proved the thesis then got destroyed by timing
- [[teleological investing is Bayesian reasoning applied to technology streams because attractor state analysis provides the prior and market evidence updates the posterior]] — the question is whether Aschenbrenner is updating on evidence or anchoring on his prior

Topics:
- [[teleological-economics overview]]
