DeepSeek, a leading Chinese artificial intelligence company based in Hangzhou, has embarked on a major hiring campaign aimed at doubling the size of its workforce across all departments. The announcement, made on Thursday, outlined 33 open positions spanning full-stack development, AI core system research and development, deep learning research, model data strategy, product management, and engineering.

According to the company, new hires will be entrusted with significant responsibilities from the outset, enabling rapid professional growth and positioning them as key contributors to the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI)—AI systems capable of human-level cognitive performance or beyond. The company described the current period as "the eve of AGI," inviting prospective employees to "experience the development of AGI firsthand" and participate in what it characterized as the birth of a new technological epoch.

DeepSeek emphasized an inclusive recruitment approach that values potential over traditional notions of genius, welcoming applicants who demonstrate unique talents. The response to the recruitment push has been substantial, with more than 10,000 résumés submitted by the afternoon following the posting, according to a company recruiter, Wang Ning, who communicated through the platform RedNote.

Among the critical roles highlighted are server-side development engineers, pre-training data engineers, and specialized domain data product managers with expertise in non-English languages, medicine, and law. This talent influx follows closely on the heels of DeepSeek’s recently closed Series A funding round, which reportedly raised approximately 50 billion yuan (about HK$57 billion), elevating the company’s valuation to roughly 400 billion yuan.

The funding round positions DeepSeek as one of China’s highest-valued AI start-ups, surpassing rivals such as Moonshot AI and MiniMax AI, though it remains below Zhipu AI’s valuation, which stands at around US$95 billion. DeepSeek’s founder and CEO, Liang Wenfeng, a relatively low-profile figure, reportedly contributed around 20 billion yuan personally to the round, retaining significant control despite the involvement of external investors.

Other notable investors participating in the funding round include Tencent Holdings and battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), investing 10 billion yuan and 5 billion yuan, respectively, alongside contributions of 3 billion yuan each from NetEase and JD.com.

The company’s strategic expansion is also reflected in its newly formed Harness team, headed by Cui Tianyi, who has been actively recruiting talent since May. Cui, an alumnus of Zhejiang University like Liang, joined DeepSeek in March after nearly a decade at quantitative trading firm Jane Street and running his own firm, TSY Capital. His appointment signals DeepSeek’s intention to deepen its engagement in the AI agent market, an area focused on transforming foundational AI models into functional tooling agents capable of performing complex tasks. This focus puts DeepSeek in competition with established AI agent developers such as Anthropic and OpenAI.

Despite its growth ambitions, DeepSeek has experienced departures among some core researchers amid increasing competition for AI talent. The company’s ongoing recruitment drive and recent capital infusion suggest a concerted effort to maintain its momentum and influence in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.