Ken Griffin didn't amass a fortune of nearly $49 billion by ignoring major technological trends. Unsurprisingly, his Citadel Advisors hedge fund's portfolio is loaded with artificial intelligence (AI) stocks.
Which AI stocks does Griffin like the most? I'd put three at the top of the list. They're among Citadel's largest holdings. The billionaire also more than doubled his stakes in each of them during the third quarter of 2025. Here are those three AI stocks – and why you might want to buy them, too.
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1. Microsoft
Microsoft (MSFT +0.76%) ranks as Griffin's largest holding. Citadel Advisors' stake in the tech giant topped $2 billion at the end of Q3. That's a much larger total than at the beginning of the quarter. Griffin increased his hedge fund's position in Microsoft by 100.3% in Q3.
Wall Street would probably endorse this move. Of the 57 analysts surveyed by S&P Global (SPGI +1.26%) in November who cover the stock, a whopping 56 of them recommended it as a "buy" or "strong buy." The consensus 12-month price target for Microsoft reflects a potential upside of roughly 31%.
NASDAQ: MSFT
Key Data Points
There are good reasons why Griffin and analysts are bullish about Microsoft. The company continues to ride a huge AI wave. In the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2025, Microsoft's revenue jumped 18% year-over-year to $77.7 billion. While its business was strong across the board, the Intelligence Cloud segment, which includes the Azure cloud platform, especially stood out with revenue soaring 28% year-over-year.
Can Microsoft keep the good times rolling? I think so. The adoption of agentic AI seems likely to drive increased demand for the company's cloud and productivity software products.
2. Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms (META +3.78%) is Citadel Advisors' third-largest holding. The hedge fund owns a much larger stake in Meta after increasing its position by a jaw-dropping 12,693% in Q3.
Why might Griffin like Meta so much these days? For one thing, its core businesses continue to fire on all cylinders. The company's revenue rose 26% year-over-year in Q3 to $51.2 billion. Meta's family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp) had an impressive 3.54 billion average active daily users in September 2025.
NASDAQ: META
Key Data Points
If Griffin is like many other investors, he's also excited about the prospects of Meta's AI glasses. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in the company's Q3 earnings call that the new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses "sold out in almost every store within 48 hours." He added, "This is an area where we're clearly leading and have a huge opportunity ahead." I agree 100%.
The big wild card for Meta is its investment in developing artificial superintelligence (ASI). Zuckerberg acknowledged in the Q3 call that opinions vary as to how long it will take to achieve ASI. However, he stated earlier this year that "developing superintelligence is now in sight." If Meta is successful in these efforts, the company's growth will almost certainly skyrocket.
3. Apple
Apple (AAPL +0.38%) ranks one spot behind Meta as Citadel's fourth-largest holding. Griffin and his team bought another 2.56 million shares of the iPhone maker in Q3, enough to boost Citadel's position by 108.2%.
Like Microsoft and Meta, Apple continues to demonstrate why it deserves to be one of the world's largest companies. In the quarter ending Sept. 27, 2025, Apple's revenue increased 8% year-over-year to $102.5 billion – a record high for a September quarter. Services revenue reached $28.8 billion, an all-time high.
Apple remains a top stock to buy because of the unrivaled success of its iPhone-centric ecosystem. Although the company's integration of generative AI functionality has been criticized, the iPhone is still a leading device for edge AI.
Investors seeking another reason to consider buying Apple stock may want to consider the company's likely entry into the AI glasses market in the near future. Apple already has a robust operating system for spatial technology with its visionOS. It could give Meta a run for its money in the AI glasses market – and ignite another supercycle of iPhone upgrades in the process.
