Multiple employees at DeepSeek, the Chinese AI chatbot company that triggered a massive selloff in US tech stocks last month, reportedly previously worked at Microsoft’s controversial artificial intelligence labs in China. According to a report in the New York Post, at least four current DeepSeek employees, including a key department chief, honed their skills at Microsoft Research Asia. The report cites public profiles on GitHub and LinkedIn.
Microsoft Research Asia, comprising labs in Beijing and Shanghai, has faced increasing political pressure in Washington, with executives reportedly debating the future of the facilities. Among the DeepSeek employees with Microsoft ties is a researcher who spent six years as a research intern in the lab’s “natural language computing group.” This researcher, along with others, is reported to be listed as a “core contributor” to the research paper detailing DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning model, the technology that fueled last month’s market upheaval.
Microsoft on China AI Lab’s DeepSeek connection
While Microsoft confirmed the connections, it downplayed the significance of the training, stating, “Anyone who thinks that a handful of former Microsoft interns were the secret of DeepSeek’s recent success doesn’t understand what DeepSeek has accomplished.” The company added that it requires confidentiality and IP transfer agreements from its China-based employees and interns.
However, the long tenures of some of these internships – three of the four employees spent at least five years in the program – have raised eyebrows. “If you’re working for Microsoft for five years at any other job, that’s enough time to climb into a mid-senior or senior position,” told Geoffrey Cain, policy director at the Tech Integrity Project, told the New York Post.
Microsoft has faced warnings on China ties
Critics have reportedly long alleged that Microsoft’s Chinese labs are vulnerable to intellectual property theft and talent poaching. Reports have surfaced of internal debates at Microsoft regarding the future of the labs. The New York Times reported in January 2024 that Microsoft has held internal debates for years on whether to shutter or relocate its AI labs in China. Among the key concerns is that top researchers could leave the company to join Chinese companies with ties to the CCP, or even that China could hack the company’s labs.
Microsoft has denied any plans to close the labs, despite previously asking some China-based employees to consider transferring to other countries. Lawmakers have also warned Microsoft against maintaining close ties with China on AI development. It is also important to note here that there is no evidence that the DeepSeek employees with Microsoft ties engaged in any wrongdoing.