Founder of ‘China’s Amazon’, JDCom, makes a promise to the company’s 900,000 employees on AI and automation; says: Will not lay off employees who …
China is the world’s largest e-commerce market and has been so for many years. One of the biggest players in China’s online shopping market is Chinese ecommerce giant JD.Com, also known as ‘China’s Amazon’. As AI layoffs sweep companies and countries, the founder of JD.com has made a pledge to the company’s 900,000 employees. JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong vowed to prevent the e-commerce company’s 900,000-strong workforce from losing their jobs to automation at a recent town hall. As per a report in Bloomberg, the pledge sought to allay growing fears that the adoption of AI and robotics could replace workers. The report mentions a video circulating on social media that shows Liu addressing the company’s employees earlier this week. Incidentally, what makes Liu Qiangdong’s ‘promise’ to employees important is that JD.Com is one of China’s largest employers by headcount. Liu Qiangdong reportedly told employees that he will “do everything possible to safeguard employment for hundreds of thousands of staff, including blue-collar workers.” He added, “JD.com will not fire a single front-line worker replaced by machines.”According to a recent filing, JD.Com’s employs staff from couriers and store clerks to AI trainers and robot maintenance engineers. The Chinese retailer is reportedly experimenting with a host of unmanned technologies that include “unmanned warehouses, drone delivery, self-driving vehicles, unmanned delivery stations and convenience stores, among others.”
China’s ‘warning’ to companies on AI layoffs
Liu’s comments come after a Chinese court ruled in late April that companies cannot terminate employees or cut their salaries just to replace them with artificial intelligence systems. A Chinese court ruled that a tech company had illegally laid off a worker after replacing him with artificial intelligence software. In its ruling against the company, the court delivered an implicit warning to other employers. “The development of artificial intelligence technology should be applied to liberating labor, promoting employment and improving people’s livelihood,” the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court wrote. “Labor law allows employers to undertake technological changes and upgrade their operations, but it should also take into account the protection of workers’ legitimate rights and interests.
JD.com eyeing expansion in UK after a failed bid in 2025
Recently, JD.com is reportedly planning a potential $2.69 billion bid for the British online shopping platform The Very Group. According to a report in Sky News, this is Chinese company’s latest push to expand in the UK market. The move follows JD.com’s earlier UK efforts, including its failed takeover bid, for electricals group Currys and its decision in 2025 to walk away from talks to acquire Argos from Sainsbury’s. A report claimed in January that Carlyle, the owner of The Very Group, is planning a £2 billion sale of the company, just months after taking control of the British retailer. Carlyle took control of the group in 2025, ending the Barclay family’s long-standing involvement in the business.
