Published: February 7th, 2025,
Last updated: February 7th, 2025
The unexpected success of AI start-up DeepSeek shook the Chinese tech world as much as the Western one. Few had the Hangzhou-based company on their radar as a disruptive player. Hopes were placed on others: Stepfun, for example, founded in April 2023 by a former Senior Vice President of Microsoft. Or Zhipu, which is rumored to have ties to the Chinese military.