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Liang Wenfeng
Liang Wenfeng is the 40-year-old founder of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company that has shaken up the tech industry. Liang has been a key figure in China’s AI sector. He started as a hedge fund manager and co-founded High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund, in 2015. That company quickly pivoted to AI-driven trading, which laid the foundation for Liang’s deep interest in artificial intelligence.
In 2023, Liang founded DeepSeek, reportedly with just $1.4 million in capital. Despite facing restrictions on Nvidia chips due to U.S. trade policies, DeepSeek managed to develop advanced AI models using available processors in China. The company’s AI models have gained international attention for their efficiency and cost-effectiveness, competing with OpenAI.
By 2024, DeepSeek had developed and released its DeepSeek V2 model, triggering an AI price war in China. Liang admitted that his team did not expect pricing to be so sensitive.
DeepSeek’s AI release had a major impact on global markets, contributing to a $600 billion selloff in U.S. tech stocks, including Nvidia. By January 27, 2025, DeepSeek became the #1 free app on the U.S. iOS App Store, surpassing ChatGPT.
Early Life and Education
Liang was born in the 1980s in Guangdong, China, reportedly to parents who were teachers. Guangdong has since evolved into a major tech hub in China, making it a fitting backdrop for Liang’s journey into AI.
He pursued higher education at Zhejiang University, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in information and communication engineering. Zhejiang University is one of China’s most prestigious institutions, known for its emphasis on science and technology.
Career
Before launching DeepSeek, Liang co-founded High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund, in 2015. The company specialized in using AI and mathematical models to optimize investment strategies.
- In October 2016, High-Flyer developed its first AI-powered trading model, marking its shift from traditional machine-learning algorithms to more advanced AI-driven decision-making.
- By 2017, the hedge fund relied almost entirely on AI for stock position decisions and established a dedicated research team focused on AI development.
This experience in quantitative finance gave Liang firsthand exposure to AI’s potential and limitations, influencing his eventual move toward full-scale AI research and development.
DeepSeek AI
In 2021, Liang began stockpiling Nvidia graphics processors for a secret AI project—before U.S. trade restrictions limited China’s access to advanced AI chips. This strategic move suggests that he foresaw the growing importance of high-performance computing for AI research.
By 2023, Liang officially founded DeepSeek, a company focused on artificial intelligence research and development. Despite the challenge of not having access to Nvidia’s most advanced chips, the company focused on maximizing the performance of processors available in China.
Views on AI and China’s Role
Liang has been vocal about the need for China to bridge the AI gap with the U.S. In an interview with Chinese tech outlet 36Kr, he said:
“China must gradually transition to being a contributor in AI, rather than continuing to ride on the coattails of others.”
He warned that unless China closes the one- to two-year gap with the U.S., it will remain a follower in AI rather than a leader.
