Robots will replace 700,000 delivery workers ‘sooner or later’, warns JD.com boss
JD.com founder Richard Liu stated at the 2026 APEC China CEO Forum that robots will eventually make delivery couriers unnecessary. To address this, the company launched the Nirvana Plan to retrain 700,000 employees. Workers will transition into robot maintenance and repair roles through 120 partner schools across China.
What changed
The company announced the Nirvana Plan to retrain 700,000 workers for robot maintenance.
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JD.com Founder Predicts Robots Will Replace 700,000 Delivery Workers
confidence 95%JD.com founder Richard Liu stated at the 2026 APEC China CEO Forum that robots will eventually make delivery couriers unnecessary. To address this, the company launched the Nirvana Plan to retrain 700,000 employees. Workers will transition into robot maintenance and repair roles through 120 partner schools across China.
What's confirmed:
- JD.com founder Richard Liu says robots will replace all 700,000 delivery workers sooner or later.
- The company launched the Nirvana Plan to retrain 700,000 delivery and warehouse workers.
- The retraining initiative involves 120 partner schools across China.
- Retrained workers will move into roles involving robot maintenance and repair.
Still unconfirmed:
- JD.com vows to protect a million human jobs from robots.
- JD.com founder commits to protecting 900,000 workers from AI and robot displacement.