JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong said the company will not lay off any employees due to artificial intelligence or automation.
The pledge comes as the global workforce faces increasing displacement by generative AI and robotic systems. By securing the positions of his staff, Liu is attempting to stabilize the internal environment of one of China's largest e-commerce entities during a period of rapid technological transition.
Liu's commitment extends to the company's total workforce of 900,000 employees [1]. This guarantee specifically targets the protection of front-line workers who are often the most vulnerable to automation in logistics and warehousing operations.
The move aligns with a broader regulatory atmosphere in China. Recent warnings from Chinese courts have suggested that companies should not replace human workers with AI systems, highlighting a government interest in maintaining social stability and employment levels [1].
While many tech firms have utilized AI to streamline operations and reduce headcount, JD.com is positioning itself differently. The company's approach suggests a strategy of integrating AI to augment human labor rather than substituting it entirely.
Liu said the company would prioritize the security of its workers as it continues to innovate its technological infrastructure [1]. This stance serves as a counter-narrative to the prevailing industry trend of using automation to cut operational costs through mass firing.
“JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong said the company will not lay off any employees due to artificial intelligence or automation.”
This pledge reflects the tension between corporate efficiency and state-mandated social stability in China. By explicitly rejecting AI-driven layoffs, JD.com is not only managing employee morale but also signaling compliance with judicial warnings against the wholesale replacement of human labor. This may set a precedent for other Chinese tech giants to adopt a 'human-in-the-loop' automation strategy to avoid regulatory friction.
