Sputnik moment, they say in the field of AI, when DeepSeek R1 was revealed to the world. It has sent American incumbents into tailspin, and even ruffled the lazy feathers of the rest of the world, including India, which was so far comfortable letting the ‘big boys of silicon valley’ do the heavy lifting. The mere projection of an exorbitant budget needed for any such undertakings has kept many from even attempting a foundational model. What High-Flyer has achieved at their claimed budget has shattered this presumption.
Then there’s another angle to it, the age factor which has caught attention. The founder himself is barely 40, and the team which created the model has an average age of below 35. Yet, they achieved this landmark outcome. And then, we roll back to a very recent debate in India, which became absurd as it went. “Youth must work 70 hours a week”, an old stalwart exclaimed publicly. “Work 90 hours, why are you wasting your sundays staring at your wife”, said another veteran in a private affair, but got leaked to the public anyway.
So when DeepSeek rose from the east, the nocturnals burning the midnight candle serving their clients on the other side of the globe, and the early risers trying to do their best with what they have, got startled all the same. Obviously the ball of accountability saw itself getting passed in courts at first. Some saw it as an affirmation of the stance, that youth must work more. Others saw it as a lack of vision with leadership, which is busy shipping internet coolies rather than building something fundamental.
But I see another aspect of it. I don’t just see the average age of the working group. I see the age of the leader, or basically the public face of leadership. The gentleman began when he was just 30, and has achieved this milestone before turning 40. Obviously, he wouldn’t have done it without the patronage of big bosses in the Chinese government. But, it still happened, because someone in the big chair was listening to a person with fewer gray hairs.
Every veteran is busy telling youngsters, they need to work more. But, are those veterans willing to listen to those youngsters when they say how they could work better? Do they patiently listen when the hurried up youngsters speak? How many times have you seen a youngster suggesting something in public forums, and not getting a lecture in return? How many youngsters do you think refrain from saying something to avoid getting lectured back? You want them to work, but are you ready for them to lead or work for themselves?
Yes, youth are inexperienced. They lack wisdom which comes from relevant experience, relevant being the keyword here. Experience at times is irreplaceable. They make mistakes. They are in a hurry. They want things too fast without putting in the same work. BUT, if you look at the last sentence from another vantage point, it’s the definition of EFFICIENCY.
If old ways of doing things were always better, we’d still be living in mud huts waiting for rain to sprinkle our fields, which our ancestors did work very hard on for long hours. Then some lazy chaps had to invent things to shorten or lessen the workload once in a while, and here we are in the modern age, working so little with our hands than them. Sarcasm in the last statement aside, things changed because some people, often in comparably younger years throughout history, wanted more for doing less or wanted something different altogether.
Change is risky. Anything new breaks the status quo. And our beloved experience, which is so much praised for its virtue, often makes us risk averse. In fact, aversion to risk is unironically an aspect of wisdom. In aviation we often say, a superior pilot is someone who uses his superior judgement to stay away from situations which may need his superior skills. Experience nurtures that judgement. The history of aviation is written in blood, and safety is paramount.
But, everything isn’t aviation. In fact, if staying away from situations where you might be at risk was such a hallmark of human virtues, we wouldn’t even have taken to the skies in the first place. Real wisdom is also in watering a plant whose fruits you may never eat. That enthusiastic youth is that plant. The youth needs guidance as plants need water. If you drown it, it’ll wither and die. Give it just the right amount and it’ll flourish, and you the fruits when the time is ripe.
Think It Yourself 