DeepSeek conquered the global AI world. But try finding a clear route for a foreigner to work there.
The company’s English website has a “Join Us” link—but it drops applicants into a Chinese-language recruitment portal. The public page lists dozens of jobs, yet offers no obvious international hiring track, English application route, or explanation of work-permit sponsorship.
That does not prove DeepSeek has never hired a foreigner. But it helps explain why one accusation keeps following the company:
DeepSeek doesn’t hire foreigners.
Then someone asked directly
The controversy finally landed in front of Cui Tianyi, head of DeepSeek’s new Harness team.
Cui had reportedly been advertising three openings—researcher, engineer, and product manager—while saying the team remained seriously understaffed despite daily interviews.
When a commenter claimed DeepSeek does not hire foreigners, Cui pushed back. According to STAR Market Daily’s report, he said the company has no rule prohibiting foreign employees.
But there was a catch: DeepSeek expects employees to work in Chinese, just as American technology companies commonly expect staff to work in English.
A denial—not proof
That answer kills the idea of an official nationality ban. It does not prove foreigners are actually getting hired.
The report did not identify a foreign DeepSeek employee, a successful foreign applicant, a visa-sponsorship policy, or an international recruitment channel. DeepSeek’s public jobs portal does not make those answers obvious either.
So the controversy is not really over.
Can a foreign AI researcher apply? Apparently yes.
Can they get an interview, secure sponsorship, and survive a technical hiring process conducted in Chinese? DeepSeek has not publicly answered that in any detail.
The real story is not that DeepSeek suddenly “welcomes foreigners.” It is that the company has finally denied shutting them out—while leaving foreign applicants to figure out the practical part themselves.
No ban is not the same as a real path in.
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Editorial note: Cui Tianyi’s original social-media post should be captured or confirmed by DeepSeek before publication.