DeepSeek's CEO Liang Wenfeng Missing as Researcher Chen Deli Emerges as New Public Face

Since a televised meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in February 2024, DeepSeek's CEO Liang Wenfeng has not made any public appearances following the launch of the R1 model. Amidst ongoing curiosity regarding his absence, senior researcher Chen Deli has stepped into the spotlight for the AI company. On Friday, Chen communicated with his nearly 24,000 followers on X after the introduction of the V4 model. Despite Liang's lack of visibility, he seems to maintain his influence, with his equity stake rising from 1% to 34% and subscribed capital increasing from 100,000 yuan ($14,630) to 5.1 million yuan. Additionally, DeepSeek's registered capital has grown from 10 million yuan to 15 million yuan, while the research team has expanded to 270 members from 212 since early December, as noted in a technical paper for the V4 model.