Silicon Valley is buzzing about DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab that’s turning heads with its R1 reasoning model. The big deal? It claims to use way less computing power than its American counterparts—and it’s completely open source. This week, its app skyrocketed to the top of the App Store, even surpassing ChatGPT.

But who’s the brains behind this game-changing company? Meet Liang Wenfeng, the entrepreneur leading the charge. Liang isn’t new to the tech world. After graduating from university, he launched Jacobi, an investment firm where he developed AI algorithms for stock picking. Later, he founded High-Flyer, an AI-backed hedge fund that now manages a whopping $8 billion and backs DeepSeek.

What sets Liang apart from other AI founders is his commitment to keeping DeepSeek free and open source. With the financial muscle of his hedge fund, he doesn’t seem to be chasing profits. Instead, he’s focused on pushing the boundaries of what AI can do.

Whether Silicon Valley is ready or not, Liang Wenfeng and DeepSeek are here to shake things up. Stay tuned to see how this tech disruptor continues to change the game.