The founder of Deepseek Liang Venfen receives a hero’s welcome

Deepseek founder Lian Venfen was welcomed as a hero in the southern Guangdong province, where he grew up and, according to reports, returns to the moon’s New Year, annexed by bodyguards.

Venfeng-who is already a billionaire because of his hedge fund, high-ranking, even more admiring from locals after a Deepseek breakthrough, which has shown that powerful AI models can be built with fewer NVIDIA chips. The finding has significant consequences, especially in China, where access to the highest class chips is limited.

Residents Tell the Financial Times The fact that Venfen was a “top student” who loved comics was mathematics and came from a family of teachers. According to one local, he also played some football. “We’ve all grown up in this village,” the resident tells FT. “We are very proud of him.”

Despite its rising star, Venfen largely avoids public attention, disappointing those who eager to learn more about him. Given the fate of high-flying Chinese executives such as Jack Ma and Pony Ma-who encountered state control after winning too much visibility-don’t be surprised if Venfen decides to stay in the background.