Liang Wenfeng, founder of Chinese AI startup Deepseek, has adopted an unusual hiring approach by actively recruiting inexperienced candidates, including fresh graduates, to build his company’s AI team. This strategy stems from his belief that the rapidly evolving AI field requires fresh perspectives and adaptability rather than traditional experience. Wenfeng specifically targets candidates with strong mathematical foundations and problem-solving abilities, regardless of their direct AI experience. The company’s approach has proven successful, with Deepseek raising $25 million in funding and releasing competitive AI models that rival those of major tech companies. Wenfeng’s hiring philosophy is particularly noteworthy in China’s competitive AI landscape, where companies typically compete for experienced talent. He argues that experienced candidates might be too set in their ways and less adaptable to new AI developments. The strategy also addresses the challenge of high salary demands from experienced AI professionals. Deepseek’s success with this approach is demonstrated by their development of the Deepseek Coder and Deepseek Chat models, which have gained recognition for their capabilities. This hiring strategy reflects a broader trend in the AI industry where traditional experience metrics are being reconsidered in favor of potential and adaptability, particularly as the field continues to evolve rapidly.