“China cannot remain a follower forever”

July 2024: Liang Wenfeng's deep interview with 36Kr. Three lines kept landing: 'Open-sourcing papers loses you nothing.' 'China cannot remain a follower forever.' 'More investment doesn't necessarily produce more innovation.' The English translation spread through overseas tech circles.

Liang Wenfeng sat for an in-depth interview with 36Kr. The lines kept landing. “Open-sourcing papers loses you nothing. For a technical person, being followed is itself a kind of achievement.” “China cannot remain a follower forever.” “More investment doesn't necessarily produce more innovation, otherwise large companies would have monopolized all innovation by now.” This wasn't PR theatre. It was a low-key, sharply spoken quant manager calmly contradicting the AI industry's foundational beliefs. The full interview was translated into English and resonated widely in overseas tech circles, where many understood for the first time the inner drive behind this strange company: curiosity, and an obsession with redefining problems.