Childhood and Education: The Foundations of a Visionary:
Born in 1985 in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, Liang Wenfeng grew up in a coastal region that blended tradition and modernity—an environment that nurtured his curiosity for technology.
The son of a primary school teacher, his education was marked by a strong emphasis on problem-solving and the exact sciences. From an early age, he displayed exceptional talent in mathematics and programming, skills he honed at Zhejiang University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Information Engineering (obtained in 2007) and a master’s degree in Information and Communication Engineering (graduated in 2010). His master’s thesis, focused on target-tracking algorithms using low-cost cameras, revealed his early interest in automation and artificial intelligence.

From Quantitative Finance to the AI Revolution:
After graduating, Liang moved to Chengdu, where he explored practical applications of AI in various sectors, facing initial failures that led him to focus on finance. In 2013, he co-founded Hangzhou Yakebi Investment Management, integrating AI into quantitative trading strategies. This project laid the groundwork for his next milestone: in 2016, together with two university classmates, he launched Ningbo High-Flyer, a hedge fund that managed over 100 billion yuan (equivalent to 13.79 billion USD) by 2021, using mathematical algorithms and machine learning for investment decisions.
His disruptive approach—eliminating human intervention in financial operations—established him as a pioneer in merging technology and finance. In 2019, during his speech at the Golden Bull Awards, he asserted that the future of investment depended on quantitative models driven by Artificial Intelligence.

DeepSeek: The Bet on Artificial General Intelligence
In 2023, Liang made a bold leap by founding DeepSeek, a startup dedicated to developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—considered the “holy grail” of Artificial Intelligence. His strategy was unique: he secured 10,000 Nvidia A100 GPUs purchased before U.S. restrictions on China, ensuring a technological edge.
With a modest budget—reportedly $5.6 million—and a team of fewer than 10 people, prioritizing young talent over experience, he developed models such as DeepSeek-R1 (671 billion parameters) and DeepSeek-V3, which rival GPT-4 and Claude 3.
The success was immediate: in January 2025, his application surpassed ChatGPT as the #1 app in the U.S. App Store, triggering a $1 trillion drop in U.S. stock markets and drawing the attention of figures such as Donald Trump.

Philosophy and Global Impact
Liang operates under a “long-term” philosophy: he views basic research as an end in itself, beyond immediate profit. For him, the essence of human intelligence lies in language, and he believes that language models are the key to Artificial General Intelligence. Furthermore, he promotes open-source principles, releasing his models to democratize access to AI—a decision that contrasts with OpenAI’s closed approach.
In 2025, his influence reached political spheres: he participated in a symposium with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, where he advocated for the creation of a native technological ecosystem, criticizing China’s dependence on imitation rather than original innovation.

Personal Life and Legacy
Liang maintains a low profile: married to Zhang Mei and father of two children, he avoids social media and interviews, granting only two between 2023 and 2024. His fortune, estimated at $3.2 billion, comes from High-Flyer and DeepSeek, though he allocates significant resources to research.

Challenges and Controversies
Response to Technological Sanctions: DeepSeek demonstrated that U.S. restrictions on chip exports do not hinder Chinese innovation, having optimized limited resources.
Disruption in Global Competition: His success sparked debates in Silicon Valley about the sustainability of U.S. leadership in AI.
Reception of Internal Criticism: Some early partners underestimated him, dismissing him as a “nerd with a weird haircut” lacking clear vision—a stereotype he disproved through results.

Conclusion: A New Technological Paradigm
Liang Wenfeng embodies China’s transformation from follower to innovator in Artificial Intelligence. His trajectory—from financial algorithms to Generative AI models—redefines what is possible with limited resources and bold vision. As he himself states: “Chinese AI cannot remain an imitation; it must create its own path.”
In a world where technology has become a geopolitical battleground, DeepSeek is not merely a company—it is a symbol of Eastern resilience and ingenuity (from the Chinese perspective).