The Rise of Liang Wenfeng and DeepSeek

The recent success of the Chinese company DeepSeek has significantly impacted the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, bringing attention to its previously low-profile CEO, Liang Wenfeng.

Liang was not one to seek fame or wealth, but he always aspired to earn respect in the tech world, which has been largely dominated by the United States.

Now, as one of the pioneers in reshaping the AI landscape, it is clear that Liang has realized his goal.

Having just turned 40 according to Chinese media, Liang launched his AI chatbot in the United States on the same day as Donald Trump’s inauguration. This app has quickly become the most downloaded free application in the U.S., resulting in a sharp decline in the valuation of rival AI firms, creating ripples across Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

As a result of his challenge to U.S. technological dominance, Liang has gained recognition as a national hero in China and was invited to meet with the country’s Prime Minister, Li Qiang, last week.

Notably, Liang was the only AI leader present at a high-level meeting of China's leading entrepreneurs, where he shared his insights about the AI sector with top officials. During this meeting, officials indicated that Beijing will prioritize advances in critical core and cutting-edge technologies.

Liang is often described as a numbers enthusiast who dreamed of creating AI that matches human intelligence. Early in his career, he revealed his ambitious plans to colleagues, but they were met with skepticism. One former business associate reflected, 'When we first met him, he was this very nerdy guy with a terrible hairstyle, talking about building a 10,000-chip cluster to train models. We didn’t take him seriously.' Liang’s inability to clearly articulate his vision early on contributed to this skepticism.

Liang grew up in the coastal city of Zhanjiang, the son of two elementary school teachers. He was an outstanding student with a deep passion for mathematics. Even as a middle schooler, he took the initiative to teach himself calculus. A former teacher noted that Liang excelled in balancing leisure and study, mastering every subject without excessive time commitment.

After studying mathematics at a young age, Liang pursued information technology at Zhejiang University, a prestigious institution in China. Although he initially entered the finance sector post-graduation, he founded an investment firm named Jacobi, after the German mathematician Carl Jacobi, a few years later. In 2015, he launched High-Flyer, which grew into one of China's leading hedge funds, leveraging AI to analyze stock market trends.

Liang is known to have brought several talented individuals from High-Flyer to his new venture, DeepSeek, which was established in 2023. Unlike its American counterpart ChatGPT, DeepSeek's responses tend to align closely with Chinese Communist Party ideology.

At DeepSeek, Liang has prioritized hiring bright young graduates from China’s top universities, emphasizing the importance of 'passion and curiosity' in his hiring process. He is heavily involved in the daily operations of his company and fosters a collaborative and open work culture. Former employees note that Liang often works late into the night, sometimes even sleeping in the office to meet project deadlines.

One pivotal decision made by Liang was to make DeepSeek's code open-source, which contrasts sharply with the practices of major tech companies. He explained that for tech professionals, having others build upon their work brings a sense of fulfillment. 'Open source is more about culture than commercial interests, and contributing to it earns us respect,' he stated in a previous interview.

In recent weeks, Beijing has begun to take notice of DeepSeek. Experts indicate that although it wasn’t initially recognized as a leading Chinese AI startup, its swift rise is likely to grant it access to greater resources and showcase it as a model for innovation. With the success of Liang’s vision becoming evident, state media in China has celebrated DeepSeek’s achievements, highlighting the potential for creating impactful technologies even with limited computing power.

Liang, DeepSeek, AI