Someone bought the domain ‘OGOpenAI’ and redirected it to a Chinese AI lab

Title:Software Engineer’s Gesture: ogopenai.com Now Points to China’s OpenAI Wunderkind, DeepSeek

In a tech world where a domain change can stir intrigue, software engineer Ananay Arora has done just that by redirecting ogopenai.com to DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab causing ripples in the open-source AI scene. Arora’s inspiration was a now-deleted X post by Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, likening DeepSeek to OpenAI in its earlier, more accessible days. "I thought, why not make the domain point to DeepSeek for fun?" Arora shared with TechCrunch.

Arora bought the domain for a sum that’s friendlier to one’s lunch budget than a Charts recurring meal plan. His plans for reselling? Let’s just say, he might not be starting a Chipotle franchise anytime soon.

This move is more than just a whim; it’s a nod to DeepSeek’s adventurous spirit in democratizing AI. Much like OpenAI did in its nascent years, DeepSeek serves up models like DeepSeek-R1, which some benchmarks suggest outperforms OpenAI’s o1. These models can be used offline and for free by developers with the right hardware, recalling the openness of OpenAI’s earlier models like Point-E and Jukebox. It’s an approach that’s drawn snaps from fans, just as it’s raised eyebrows over OpenAI’s recent reticence to release flagship AI in open format.

Interest in DeepSeek spiked last week when it dropped an open version of its DeepSeek-R1 model. The lab now joins Alibaba’s Qwen in presenting open alternatives to OpenAI’s models, challenging the U.S. to do more than impose chip export restrictions to keep up with China’s AI surge.