Liang Wenfeng, the founder of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, has seen his personal wealth more than double following a recent investment round, propelling him past the founders of OpenAI and Anthropic to become the world’s richest AI model creator. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Liang’s net worth surged to $36 billion from $16.7 billion in a single day—a 116% jump—and has climbed 124% since the start of the year.

The milestone places Liang well ahead of OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman, whose fortune stands at $25.5 billion, and Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei, valued at $7.98 billion. The sharp increase reflects investor confidence in DeepSeek’s technology and business strategy, particularly after the company launched an AI assistant last year that it claims rivals OpenAI’s ChatGPT in performance.

Founded in China, DeepSeek specializes in developing large language models and has gained international attention for its cost-efficient approach to training high-performing AI systems. While the company has not disclosed detailed financials, the latest funding round signals strong demand for alternatives to Western AI platforms. Liang’s rapid ascent underscores the growing financial rewards for founders in the fiercely competitive AI sector, where valuation growth often outpaces revenue.

Source: RIA Novosti