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The rapid rise in value of DeepSeek
The basis of Liang's fortune is his share in DeepSeek. In recent months, the company has significantly increased its market valuation thanks to high investor interest. If in April the startup was valued at approximately $10 billion, then after the last round of financing, its value exceeded $50 billion.
In June, DeepSeek attracted over $7.4 billion in its first investment round, making the company the most expensive AI startup in China.
Why is the fortune of the founder so great?
One of the main reasons for Liang's record wealth was his large stake in the company. He controlled nearly 90% of DeepSeek before the investment, and retained close to after the funding round 78% of shares.
By comparison, founders of US AI companies typically dilute their stakes significantly more when raising venture capital. As a result, even the heads of Silicon Valley's largest startups own a significantly smaller share of their own business.
How the rating was formed
Bloomberg notes that only companies whose main business is directly related to the development of artificial intelligence models were included in the rating. That is why the list did not include large technological corporations such as Alibaba or Tencent, as well as chip manufacturers and data center operators operating in adjacent market segments.
The rapid growth of DeepSeek shows the strengthening of the position of Chinese companies in the global race to create artificial intelligence technologies and the increasing competition with American developers.