Looking at DeepSeek's moves this way, it's eerily similar to the thrifty philosophy of older generations—save where you can, use domestic products over imports whenever possible.

Model manufacturers are pushing hard in a resource-scarce computing environment, with a kind of stubborn determination to "bite the bullet." In the short term, they'll inevitably face the pain of capability gaps, and talent drain is unavoidable.

But behind this trade-off lies a reflection of the founder's character. In the long run, the boss's vision determines the company's ceiling.