DeepSeek, is fighting for the brightest minds in China by luring them with attractive remuneration and the once in a lifetime opportunity to shape the future of China's artificial intelligence.

Since its popularity boom, DeepSeek has become one of the most sought after tech start-ups and the prime destinations for young jobseekers. The strong appeal of DeepSeek was evident immediately after the Lunar New Year break, as eager applicants arrived at its headquarters, hoping to secure a job or explore potential partnerships.

Liu Yuanjie, a recent automation graduate from Hangzhou, said

“If I get the chance to meet them, I’d love to ask if they have plans to develop AI agents.”

Another applicant, surnamed Shen, drove four days from Sichuan province to apply, calling DeepSeek “the nation’s pride” for its AI advancements. He expressed his willingness to take any role, even “as a cleaner or driver,” just to be part of the company.

The company has recently opened multiple positions in artificial general intelligence (AGI) research and development at its headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and its Beijing office, according to job listings from parent company High-Flyer Quant and various Chinese recruitment platforms.

AI talent in high demand amid china’s competitive job market

DeepSeek’s rising profile has strengthened its ability to attract top talent at a time when China’s AI industry is facing a talent shortage.

Despite an increasing number of job openings in the AI sector, there are just not enough qualified professionals to fill all the spots, according to a report from Maimai, China’s equivalent of LinkedIn.

In order to lure the hearts of the Chinese youth, DeepSeek has offered to dish out highly competitive salaries for all of its employees. For example, a "deep-learning researcher in AGI" role at its Beijing office lists a monthly salary of up to 100,000 yuan (US$13,909) for candidates with a master’s degree and research papers published in world-class journals.

Meanwhile, positions in deep-learning systems, data research, and full-stack development offer annual salary packages ranging from 700,000 yuan to 1.2 million yuan.

During an interview, DeepSeek CEO Liang Wenfeng also revealed that he prioritizes creativity over experience when he is looking for a potential employee. In fact, he said that he wants to lead his company with Gen Z, bookworms and humanities graduates because of the creativity and the innovation they can bring to the table.

"When doing something, experienced people will tell you without hesitation that you should do it one way. But inexperienced people will repeatedly explore and think seriously about how to do it, and then find a solution that suits the current situation."

Intense competition between tech companies

DeepSeek’s aggressive hiring strategy is set to intensify competition for young AI talent among China’s leading tech firms.

According to a November report from Peking University and recruitment platform Zhilian Zhaopin, demand for natural-language-processing specialists surged 111% year over year in the first half of 2024, while demand for deep-learning professionals grew by 61%.

The start-up attributes its rapid AI advancements to a team of “young geniuses”—mostly Chinese nationals from top institutions like Tsinghua University and Peking University.

As DeepSeek continues its ambitious recruitment drive, it is positioning itself as a powerhouse in China’s AI industry, attracting the brightest minds eager to shape the future of artificial intelligence.

DeepSeek’s Growing Reputation in the AI Industry

The increasing enthusiasm for DeepSeek stems from its impressive technological breakthroughs. The company recently launched two cutting-edge AI models, DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, developed at a fraction of the cost and computing power required by major tech firms to build large language models—the core technology behind generative AI services like ChatGPT.

DeepSeek’s reputation reached new heights last month when its chatbot, powered by the R1 reasoning model, topped the charts as the most downloaded free-to-use app on Apple’s App Store in both the US and China.

On Wednesday, Huang Kunming, Communist Party secretary of Guangdong province and a Politburo member, publicly praised DeepSeek for competing with US AI giants with “courage and vigor,” making him the first senior Chinese official to endorse the start-up.