Hedge fund manager Brian Kelly builds firm powered entirely by AI agents

Hedgefund manager Brian Kelly says his new trading firm, Bracket22, operates entirely with AI agents rather than a traditional employee base. Kelly told CNBC that the setup has sharply reduced his laborrelated costs while keeping the firm running around the clock. Kelly, who previously ran a cryptocurrency hedge fund, said he once had seven or eight employees and spent about $5 million a year on payroll and related expenses. He said Bracket22 now costs roughly $30,000 to $40,000 a year, including computing power and AI systems. The firm trades Kelly's own capital across cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities. Kelly described several specialized agents that handle tasks such as technical analysis, quantitative strategy, and coordination, while he makes the final decisions. He said the experiment reflects a wider trend on Wall Street as firms test where AI can complement or replace human work.