Inside DeepSeek: The Minds Behind China's AI Powerhouse

Overview

DeepSeek, an emerging artificial intelligence startup from China, has swiftly captured global attention. Although its platform has made significant waves in the tech world, the team fueling its success remains largely under the radar outside of China. The startup's journey—from its investment roots to its pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI)—underscores an ambition to transform not only technology but also the global AI landscape.

Key Highlights

• Liang Wenfeng, the founder of DeepSeek, has earned comparisons to Silicon Valley's Sam Altman, albeit with a quieter public profile.
• Liang recently experienced a hero’s welcome in his hometown, participated in a roundtable with Premier Li Qiang, and joined a private symposium led by President Xi Jinping.
• DeepSeek’s team shares significant ties with its parent organization, High-Flyer, integrating senior management, operational staff, human resource experts, and finance professionals.

The Visionary Leadership of Liang Wenfeng

Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek's 40-year-old founder, has been at the forefront of media attention as the company’s novel chatbot soared to the top of global app charts. Despite his rarity in interviews—only granting a couple to Chinese outlets like 36Kr—Liang’s ambition is evident. He envisions achieving AGI, a form of AI that closely mimics human intelligence, and positioning China as a global innovator in technology.

Born in 1985 in Zhanjiang, a bustling southern port city, Liang was a prodigy with a particular talent in mathematics. His early success was marked by self-teaching calculus in junior high, leading to admission at Zhejiang University in 2002. After earning both a bachelor's and master’s degree in information and communication engineering, Liang’s focus shifted to machine vision research. His journey into AI was spurred by challenging the conventional investment strategies of his time, inspired by technology pioneers like Jim Simons.

High-Flyer: The Strategic Backbone

Before DeepSeek took shape, Liang, alongside his college friend Jin Xu, co-founded High-Flyer Asset Management in 2015. High-Flyer is a quantitative hedge fund that employs advanced mathematical algorithms to forecast market trends and guide investment decisions.

Jin Xu, an alum of Zhejiang University’s Chu Kochen Honors College, combined his expertise in machine learning and autonomous robotics—skills honed during China's lunar exploration initiatives—to lead the technology development at High-Flyer.

Additionally, Zhengzhe Lu, the CEO of High-Flyer, brings financial and macroeconomic expertise following his tenure at China Merchants Bank and academic training from the London School of Economics. Lu once remarked about their innovative direction: "We have set up a new team independent of investment, what is equivalent to a second start-up," a move that eventually gave rise to DeepSeek. The robust performance of High-Flyer’s funds, which outpaced major indexes in 2024, provided the financial impetus to propel DeepSeek forward.

The Brains Behind DeepSeek

In 2023, High-Flyer spun off DeepSeek as a separate enterprise with an ambitious goal: the pursuit of AGI. The startup’s team is primarily composed of young graduates from prestigious Chinese institutions like Tsinghua University and Peking University. Many of these individuals have already made their mark in fields such as language models and machine learning through published research.

Notably, several members bring international experience, having studied or worked at leading American tech firms such as Nvidia and Microsoft before returning to contribute to China's AI revolution. What distinguishes DeepSeek is its focus on foundational talent. As emphasized by a headhunter, the company values academic excellence, international awards, and research achievements over long industry experience. Liang himself has noted that creativity, foundational skills, and passion are the cornerstones for long-term success in AI.

Furthermore, DeepSeek’s competitive salary packages and a practice of bottom-up management are magnetic appeals for top graduates, setting the startup apart from larger, more hierarchical tech enterprises.

Conclusion

DeepSeek’s rapid ascent in the AI arena is a testament to its visionary leadership and the strategic ecosystems inherited from its parent company, High-Flyer. With a clear focus on nurturing young, talented individuals and a determination to push the boundaries of current technology, DeepSeek is poised to become a major player in the global quest for artificial general intelligence.