Liang Wenfeng, the 39-year-old founder of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, has rapidly emerged as a key figure in China’s tech industry, symbolizing the nation’s aspirations to counter U.S. export restrictions and establish a dominant position in artificial intelligence.
Until recently, Liang maintained a low profile, granting only two interviews—one in 2023 and another last year—to Chinese media outlet Waves. However, his influence became evident on Jan. 20 when he was among nine individuals invited to a closed-door symposium hosted by Chinese Premier Li Qiang. His presence at the event, alongside high-ranking officials and industry leaders, underscored the Chinese government’s recognition of DeepSeek’s potential to reshape the global AI landscape.
DeepSeek’s recent launch of a free AI assistant—designed to operate with significantly lower data and costs—has triggered a global selloff in tech stocks, intensifying concerns among Western firms about the competitive edge of Chinese AI development.
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Unlike traditional Chinese tech firms that focus on scaling existing innovations, DeepSeek, under Liang’s leadership, has prioritized fundamental AI research over application development. This strategy contrasts with Baidu CEO Robin Li’s earlier stance that China should focus on commercial applications rather than compete directly with OpenAI.
Liang believes China’s tech industry has reached a turning point where it possesses the financial resources but lacks the confidence to drive true innovation. He has openly criticized the industry’s past emphasis on profit over research, arguing that “curiosity and a desire to create” are essential for technological breakthroughs.
DeepSeek has embraced open-source AI, a departure from OpenAI’s closed-system approach. Liang argues that open-source development fosters innovation and “soft power,” making AI advancements more accessible globally.
A Guangdong native, Liang pursued higher education at Zhejiang University, specializing in Electronics and Communication Engineering. He later co-founded a successful quantitative hedge fund that managed assets exceeding 100 billion yuan ($13.79 billion) before pivoting toward AI research. In April 2023, the fund announced its transition to AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) exploration, leading to DeepSeek’s creation a month later.
With a team comprising top-tier graduates and PhD holders, DeepSeek aims to tackle AI’s most complex challenges. “What attracts the best talent is obviously solving the world’s hardest problems,” Liang stated.
As DeepSeek continues its pursuit of AGI, its rapid rise signals China’s growing ambition to rival the dominance of Silicon Valley in artificial intelligence.
