Fri Jan 31 2025

This interview with DeepSeek founder highlights contrasts between different approaches to AI development and innovation in tech. DeepSeek's strategy focuses on open-source development, slashing API costs to 1/30th of OpenAI's prices. The company prioritizes fundamental research over quick commercialization, developing alternatives like their MLA architecture instead of following existing models. DeepSeek maintains a narrow focus on core model research rather than diversifying into applications. Their approach emphasizes patient capital for long-term breakthroughs rather than quarterly profits. The organizational culture promotes flat hierarchies and provides researchers with unrestricted compute access. In contrast, many US tech companies focus on regulatory capture and lobbying for favorable AI safety rules. Large American firms tend toward incremental updates and vertical integration through acquisitions rather than fundamental innovation. Structural challenges include concentr...