In the domestic AI sector, Kimi was once a highly regarded startup product, but this situation is quietly changing with the rise of DeepSeek. Recently, the company Dark Side of the Moon announced significant cuts to Kimi's advertising budget, suspending promotions on multiple Android channels and collaborations with third-party advertising platforms. This decision is clearly a direct response to DeepSeek's rapid development.
According to reports from Jiemian News, DeepSeek has successfully attracted 35 million daily active users in just a few weeks, while Kimi, despite investing heavily over the past year, has failed to surpass 10 million daily active users. This stark contrast has forced the Kimi team to reassess its market strategy.
Insiders revealed that DeepSeek's success has had a significant impact on the Dark Side of the Moon team, which realized after reflection that it must maintain industry leadership in foundational models. Consequently, the Kimi team plans to retrain its foundational model and seize opportunities at the application level. Notably, the team has chosen a new product direction—DeepResearch, an intelligent agent product released by OpenAI in February, focusing on the deep research field.
In the face of intensified competition, Dark Side of the Moon clearly hopes to regain its competitive edge by optimizing its products and market strategies. Although there has been no official comment on this news, Kimi's future development path seems to be at a critical turning point. With the rapid advancement of the AI industry, how to survive and thrive amid fierce market competition will be an important challenge for the Kimi team.