During the spring and summer 2025 semesters, Michael Rivera, assistant professor of Business Information Systems in the DATA department, co-authored a new business case with undergraduate students Sophie Hatfield ’25 and Sam Rosen ’25. Published by Ivey Publishing and soon to be available through Harvard Business Publishing, DeepSeek: Can China Disrupt Generative Artificial Intelligence? examines the remarkable rise of DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based AI start-up founded in 2023. In less than two years, DeepSeek challenged global leaders such as OpenAI through lean development, cost-efficient models and an open-source approach that disrupted traditional hardware dependence. The case explores the company’s successes and setbacks—from competitive product launches to global regulatory bans, privacy controversies and cyberattacks, and its central strategic dilemma of whether to strengthen governance to build trust or preserve the agility that fueled its rapid growth.
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