Is DeepSeek Challenging US Tech Hegemony?

How a Rising Chinese Startup is Redefining the US-China AI Trade War

This week, a brewing controversy is rattling the tech industry. Since DeepSeek’s meteoric rise on the stock market, which challenged U.S. tech giants and wiped trillions off their value, the company has reportedly become the victim of a massive cybersecurity attack. As a result, new developments continue to unfold.

Now, Microsoft and OpenAI are probing whether a Chinese startup, DeepSeek, accessed OpenAI’s API without permission to power its R1 model. This has engendered grave concerns and sparked new conversations about privacy, data security, and intellectual property. U.S. officials have already labeled it a national security threat, while European regulators have launched their own investigation into the company’s data collection practices.