Elon Musk’s xAI has claimed an early victory in real-world AI monetization after its Grok 4.20 model outperformed competitors from OpenAI and Google in a live stock-trading competition.
Grok 4.20 topped the leaderboard in Alpha Arena Season 1.5, an event where multiple AI models traded stocks live using identical starting capital. According to results shared on X, the model—initially listed as a mystery entrant—finished with roughly $11,060 after starting with $10,000, delivering an estimated 10–12% return.
Screenshots of the final standings showed Grok variants taking four of the top six positions. Notably, Grok 4.20 was reportedly the only model in the competition to end in profit, beating entries from major AI developers.
The strong performance came from several configurations of the same model, including different risk and leverage settings, suggesting its success was not tied to a single trading strategy. Observers noted that the results highlight Grok’s ability to operate beyond benchmarks and generate returns in real market conditions.
Musk amplified the results on X, joking that the outcome pointed to “a way to pay for all those GPUs,” a remark underscoring growing interest in whether advanced AI systems can directly generate revenue as firms pour billions into computing infrastructure.