AI darling Deepseek won’t be looking for outside investors any time soon, according to reports about comments from its own founder.
Liang Wenfeng is not seeking investors for his generative AI company, and is particularly against government investors.
That makes sense: The China-based Deepseek has faced plenty of criticism already, and has even been banned in multiple countries.
Liang Wants to Avoid Government Influence
The new scoop comes from the Wall Street Journal, which cites “people familiar with the matter” to deliver the news that “Liang Wenfeng has told associates he isn’t in a hurry to get investment, fearing that outsiders would interfere in DeepSeek’s decisions.”
Furthermore, Liang is particularly cautious about government-linked investors, since, sources say, he’s concerned about the appearance of Beijing influence over Deepseek and its AI models.
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Granted, the lack of government investment hasn’t stopped plenty of Western media outlets and governments from an aboundance of caution. Not only have Italy, Australia, and Taiwan passed bans on the company’s AI models, but the US-China AI chip trade war has further constrained Deepseek for years already.
Deepseek Doesn’t Have Money Troubles
Most startups have outside investors, who hold influence over the business and its path towards profits. That’s not the case for Deepseek, however.
According to TechCrunch, Liang himself owns a full 84% of the company, with the rest owned by individuals with ties to his hedge fund, High-Flyer.
Deepseek also doesn’t need investor money at the moment, even if it does have other problems to face. “Money has never been the problem for us; bans on shipments of advanced chips are the problem,” Liang said in 2023, according to the TechCrunch report.
But How Long Can Deepseek Avoid Monitization?
These new reports aren’t much of a surprise to anyone who has been following Deepseek’s sudden and successful entrance into the competitive global AI business: The company has already taken the moderately original approach of making its AI models open-sourced as well as free to use.
This aligns with Liang’s previously stated problems with the VC-funded startup model popular in the US. He’s against rapid monitization, implying in a 2023 interview that it clashes with a focus on research fundamentals.
That said, while Deepseek may not need investment currently, the available chips that Deepseek needs to continue evolving do cost money. This may be a case in which even Deepseek can’t avoid investors forever.
