Bradley Thomas Gerstner (born May 4, 1971) is an American entrepreneur, investor, venture capitalist, hedge fund manager, and podcaster. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Altimeter Capital, a technology-focused investment firm. Gerstner has become a prominent public advocate for Artificial intelligence and an active investor in AI-related companies, predicting an "AI supercycle" that has shaped his firm's strategy. He also co-hosts BG2Pod, a bi-weekly podcast on tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, alongside venture capitalist Bill Gurley.
Gerstner appeared on the 2022 Forbes Midas List after his firm's successful investments in Snowflake and Grab. In 2025, he founded the Invest America Foundation, which helped advance the Invest America Act - federal legislation that created $1,000 tax-advantaged investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028.
Early Life and Education
Gerstner was born on May 4, 1971, in Goshen, a city in Elkhart County, Indiana. His father was Thomas Gerstner and his mother was Martha Burt. He attended Wabash College from 1989 to 1993 and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science. He also studied abroad at the University of Oxford from 1991 to 1992.
From 1993 to 1996, Gerstner attended Indiana University Maurer School of Law and obtained a Juris Doctor degree. He did day trading to help pay for his law school fees. After graduation he practiced securities law at Ice Miller LLP and served as Deputy Secretary of State of Indiana.
In 1999, Gerstner returned to school and attended Harvard Business School where he graduated in 2000 with a Master of Business Administration degree. After graduating, he was a founding principal of General Catalyst, worked at several travel startups, and later became a Portfolio Manager for PAR Capital from 2005 to 2008.
Altimeter Capital
In 2008, Gerstner founded Altimeter Capital in Boston, Massachusetts. It was launched with less than $3 million from friends and family during the 2008 financial crisis. The firm focuses on technology investments, including cloud-computing and Generative AI companies.
In January 2016, Gerstner and the firm fought with United Continental Holdings to change the company's board of directors. United eventually gave in and changed its board. In October 2022, Gerstner wrote an open letter to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging the company to cut staff and reduce spending on the metaverse. A few weeks later, Meta laid off over 11,000 employees.
AI Investment and Advocacy
In late 2022, Gerstner and Altimeter bought Nvidia shares despite bearish forecasts, later expanding their position in early 2023 after ChatGPT debuted. Gerstner predicted an "AI supercycle," a period of sustained growth in Artificial intelligence adoption and investment. He has been a vocal advocate for AI, discussing topics such as Large language models, Machine learning, and Deep learning on his podcast and in public appearances.
Gerstner's AI investments have extended beyond Nvidia to other areas of the AI ecosystem, including cloud-computing infrastructure and Generative AI applications. He has also engaged with policymakers to promote American leadership in AI and technology.
Personal Life
Gerstner married Michelle Boyers in 2007 at Martha's Vineyard. They met at Harvard Business School. Gerstner is also an amateur pilot.