Recently, heavy-hitting news regarding a major personnel change has emerged in the field of Large Language Models (LLMs): Daya Guo, a core researcher at DeepSeek and one of the primary authors of the DeepSeek-R1 paper, has reportedly resigned.
Public records show that Daya Guo possesses an exceptionally distinguished academic background. He obtained his PhD from Sun Yat-sen University in 2023, where he was mentored by Professor Jian Yin and co-trained by Ming Zhou, the former Deputy Dean of Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA). Daya Guo officially joined DeepSeek in July 2024, focusing his research on Code Intelligence and the reasoning capabilities of Large Language Models.
During his tenure at DeepSeek, Guo demonstrated remarkable scientific talent and was deeply involved in several of the company’s milestone projects, including DeepSeekMath, DeepSeek-V3, and the globally acclaimed DeepSeek-R1. Notably, the research findings related to DeepSeek-R1 successfully graced the cover of the top international scientific journal Nature in 2025, with Daya Guo serving as one of the core authors of the paper.
Regarding his next destination, several versions are currently circulating within the industry. Some reports suggest he has joined Baidu, while other rumors indicate he has chosen ByteDance. As of now, neither the relevant companies nor Daya Guo himself have issued an official response.
External observers generally speculate that the loss of such core talent may be related to the intense "talent war" and competitive compensation packages within the LLM sector. As the global AI race reaches a fever pitch, leading internet giants are offering highly lucrative salaries and resource packages to secure top-tier talent with proven practical experience.
Insiders point to two primary factors driving Guo’s departure:
- Computing Resources: Despite DeepSeek's efficiency, the sheer volume of computing power available at the largest tech giants remains a significant draw for researchers pushing the boundaries of LLM reasoning.
- Compensation Issues: Reports indicate a "salary inversion" within the company, where newer hires were reportedly receiving higher compensation packages than established core members.
The departure may not be an isolated incident. Rumors are circulating that other "important figures" within DeepSeek are currently in talks with major tech firms, seeking roles with larger "scope" and better resources. As the global AI race reaches a fever pitch, the ability of "AI unicorns" to retain top-tier talent against the massive resources of established internet giants is facing its toughest test yet.
Source from some Chinese news:
https://www.zhihu.com/pin/2018475381884200731
https://news.futunn.com/hk/post/70411035?level=1&data_ticket=1771727651415532
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