Ambitious Minds

James Simons, a prizewinning mathematician and former cold war code breaker, is a man of quiet ambition. He is also quite possibly the most talented -- and successful -- hedge fund manager ever to use leverage and short securities.

James Simons, a prizewinning mathematician and former cold war code breaker, is a man of quiet ambition. He is also quite possibly the most talented -- and successful -- hedge fund manager ever to use leverage and short securities.Simons’ firm, Renaissance Technologies, manages $34 billion from its headquarters set amid 16 wooded acres in East Setauket, New York.

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