DeepSeek seeks $7.4B while demanding investors not to poach employees
DeepSeek, a major Chinese AI player, is raising $7.4 billion, but there's a twist: investors have to promise not to poach its employees or encourage them to build rival startups.
Founder Liang Wenfeng laid out this rule during a four-hour virtual meeting with prospective investors in May, making it clear the company is serious about protecting its team.
AI talent competition intensifies globally
The move highlights just how intense the fight for top AI minds has become in China and around the world.
DeepSeek has already lost key people, like Luo Fuli, a core contributor to the company's V3 model, who left late last year to lead Xiaomi's MiMo team and helped them beat DeepSeek's own models.
Other tech giants are scrambling too, with ByteDance losing and Tencent recruiting top researchers as billions pour into next-generation AI projects.