Michael Burry, founder of Scion Asset Management, is best known for his early bet against the U.S. housing market before the 2008 financial crisis, a move later depicted in the 2015 film The Big Short. Nearly two decades later, Burry remains one of the most closely watched investors on Wall Street, with his trading activity continuing to attract significant public and media attention.
A trained physician turned fund manager, Burry began his investment career in the early 2000s after leaving medicine to focus on financial markets. He founded Scion Capital in 2000, using a value-investing strategy inspired by Warren Buffett. By 2005, Burry began warning about the growing risks in the subprime mortgage market, taking short positions through credit default swaps against mortgage-backed securities. When the U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008, his fund reportedly earned more than $700 million for investors and $100 million personally.
After closing Scion Capital in 2008, Burry re-established himself under Scion Asset Management in 2013, where he manages a concentrated equity portfolio often marked by contrarian positions. His quarterly 13F filings are closely monitored for signs of broader market sentiment shifts.
In recent years, Burry has taken public stances on a range of market topics. He has criticised speculative trading trends, including the rise of meme stocks, cryptocurrencies, and high-growth technology shares. Most recently, Scion disclosed put options on Nvidia and Palantir, indicating a cautious view on artificial intelligence–linked equities that have driven much of the 2024–2025 market rally.
Burry frequently shares insights and market observations on X (formerly Twitter), often posting economic charts or historical comparisons. He has described himself as a student of financial cycles and has drawn parallels between current market conditions and past speculative periods, including the dot-com era.
Despite his reputation for contrarian calls, Burry’s focus remains grounded in long-term analysis of valuation, leverage, and economic fundamentals. His investment moves continue to be widely followed as indicators of broader investor sentiment and potential market corrections.
