BX
New division, same Blackstone swagger
Blackstone is launching a new team to chase AI and high-growth tech bets, including names like OpenAI and Anthropic. In plain English: the private-equity giant is not content to just watch the AI party from the hallway — it wants a seat at the table, preferably near the catering.
Meet the new boss
Jas Khaira will lead the newly formed Blackstone N1 division, relocating from New York to San Francisco to run the West Coast crew. He’ll also take over as head of Blackstone Growth, replacing Jon Korngold, who is leaving the firm. That’s a pretty loud signal that Blackstone wants sharper focus on the companies building the AI stack, not just buying a few chips and hoping for the best.
Why investors should care
Blackstone has been building a bigger presence in AI for a while, helped by its huge data center footprint and broader push into AI infrastructure. The pitch is simple: if AI is reshaping every business, then the companies supplying the compute, data center space, and growth capital could be where the long-term returns live.
- BXN1 will steer AI and tech investments across BXPE and Blackstone’s growth and tactical opportunities businesses
- Blackstone is putting its West Coast presence closer to the AI startup ecosystem
- The move also shuffles leadership, with new responsibilities and an exit at the top
Big picture: this isn’t a flashy merger or a one-day headline factory. But it does tell you where Blackstone thinks the next big pile of money is hiding — and it’s not in a dusty spreadsheet folder labeled “old economy.”