Deepseek’s Liang Wenfeng: the maths whizz who shook Big Tech

On the day of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, Chinese premier Li Qiang met with experts to discuss government policies for the upcoming year, with Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, presenting his latest model, R1. Following a trading frenzy that impacted US tech stocks, Liang’s DeepSeek is valued at $1 billion, with him owning 84% of the firm, despite his main drive not being money but rather pushing the limits of computer power and AI innovation, leading to comparisons with US quant pioneer Jim Simons and being dubbed China’s Sam Altman. Born in 1985, Liang started as a student developing AI algorithms for stock picking, founding investment firms and incorporating machine learning into his strategies, with High-Flyer experiencing success and setbacks before Liang gained recognition as a digital disruptor challenging America’s Big Tech.

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