>An Yong: But DeepSeek is a business, not a nonprofit research lab. If you innovate and open-source your breakthroughs—like the MLA architecture innovation releasing in May—won’t competitors quickly copy them? Where’s your moat?

>Liang Wenfeng: In disruptive tech, closed-source moats are fleeting. Even OpenAI’s closed-source model can’t prevent others from catching up.

>Therefore, our real moat lies in our team’s growth—accumulating know-how, fostering an innovative culture. Open-sourcing and publishing papers don’t result in significant losses. For technologists, being followed is rewarding. Open-source is cultural, not just commercial. Giving back is an honor, and it attracts talent.

https://thechinaacademy.org/interview-with-deepseek-founder-...